Emanuel says Sydney is Chicago’s newest sister city

CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago has a new sister city.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Lord Mayor Clover Moore of Sydney, Australia, say they’ve signed a new sister city agreement.

Sydney is Chicago’s 29th international sister city. Emanuel’s office said Thursday that Chicago now has a sister city on every inhabited continent, and the largest program in the U.S.

The program is managed through World Business Chicago. Volunteers build the sister city relationships through cultural programs, exchanges and initiatives.

Emanuel’s office says there are more than 30 Australia-based companies in the Chicago area and 40 Chicago-area companies have a presence in Sydney.

Ambassador Peter Heyward is the Australian Consul-General in Chicago. He says the relationship “will provide a platform for strengthening and expanding not only business links but collaboration in all sectors.”