1973 年，在周恩来总理的亲切关怀下，天津市和日本神户市结为国际友好城市，为推动地方政府城市间的友好合作开创先河。
In 1973, with the attention from Premier Zhou Enlai, Tianjin of China and Kobe of Japan established friendship relations, setting a precedent for friendly cooperation between cities and local governments.