The Chinese city of Qingzhen, in Guizhou province has reached an agreement with the Australian city of Port Stephens, after the visiting mayor of Port Stephens, with Bruce Mackenzie, signed a letter of intent on sister-city relations, on March 23, with the two cities planning to cooperate in economic, tourist, and cultural ways for mutual benefits.

Afterwards, Mackenzie remarked that the two cities each have their own advantages that will complement each other because Port Stephens has a large natural harbor in New South Wales and is a popular tourist destination with a focus on aquatic activities such as whale and dolphin watching, fishing and boating. Meanwhile, Qingzhen is rich in tourist and cultural resources and is applying its expertise to finding the technology and resources to allow the two cities to prosper together.