The Chinese ambassador to Canada and the mayor of Victoria recently held a meeting to discuss strengthening relations between China and the capital city of British Columbia. This meeting took place amidst a trend of governments severing subnational ties with the Chinese regime. The ambassador, Cong Peiwu, and Mayor Marianne Alto exchanged views on enhancing friendly relations and utilizing platforms like “friendship cities” for collaboration and mutual understanding. Victoria currently has sister-city relationships with cities in New Zealand, Japan, and Russia, but has suspended its relationship with Khabarovsk due to Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Sister cities have been a concept since 1956 when U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower proposed citizen diplomacy partnerships between U.S. communities and foreign cities for cultural, educational, and business cooperation. However, leaked documents have revealed that the Chinese regime has used intermediaries to establish sister-city programs and advance its interests. The Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries manages the sister-cities programs in China, but it is considered to be an arm of the United Front Work Department, which is involved in foreign interference. While these programs have benefited China in terms of investments and assistance, they have also been used to push Beijing’s global agenda, including its territorial claim on Taiwan. The Chinese regime requires foreign cities that have a twin-city agreement with Taipei to adhere to its “One China” policy. Local governments targeted by the Chinese Communist Party’s foreign influence campaign through sister-city relationships have influence over important issues such as development plans, land sales, infrastructure projects, and educational institutions. Consequently, the CCP’s interference has become a concern in democratic nations. Many cities have terminated their sister-city partnerships with Chinese counterparts due to growing awareness of the CCP’s interference activities.