In 1999, Xiamen became a sister city of Maroochy Shire. In 2008, the Sunshine Coast was combined with Maroochy Shire, Noosa Shire and Caloundra. In 2011, the Xiamen Municipal Government and Sunshine Coast signed agreements and officially resumed their sister-city relationship.

Sunshine Coast is, as its name might suggest, is a coastal city by the Pacific Ocean in Southeast Queensland that enjoys year-long sunshine. It ranks as the 10th largest metropolis in Australia and the third largest in Queensland in terms of population.

The city is dominated by three main sectors of tourism, retail and construction.  Agriculture also plays an important role in the city’s development. In addition, strong efforts have been made to diversify the city’s industries, namely in communication technologies, clean tech, the cultural and creative industry, aviation, education and food.

The Sunshine Coast has made efforts to foster its entrepreneurial and innovative businesses. With the support of the Innovation Center at the University of the Sunshine Coast, over 100 start-up businesses have been set up, mainly in the IT, clean tech and cultural creative industries. 

The university is honored as a 'Knowledge Hub' and can potentially house over 6,000 entrepreneurs. Sippy Downs, the location of the university, was named “Silicon Valley in Australia”.

Sunshine Coast is an important tourism city in Queensland thanks to over 50 kilometers of long beaches and numerous parks, zoos, ocean parks and ecological farms.