Wakefield Council has signed an agreement with Nanning City in southern China aimed at boosting economic, educational and cultural ties.
The friendship agreement was signed yesterday (9 May 2019) by Zhou Hongbo, the mayor of Nanning, and Cllr Peter Box, leader of Wakefield Council, during a visit by the Chinese delegation.
The agreement opens the way for both cities to explore trade between them, creating business opportunities on both sides. Exchange visits by the educational, youth and cultural sectors are also expected.
Cllr Box said: "We are pleased to have welcomed Mayor Zhou and his delegation to Wakefield. The aim of this friendship agreement is to promote the prosperity and development of our two cities and in light of Brexit, it is a positive step to strengthen relationships with countries outside of the EU.
"I am anticipating that in the coming months and years we will build strong relationships which can lead to increased commercial opportunities for domestic businesses."
Mayor of Nanning City Zhou Hongbo added: "During the visit to the city of Wakefield, Nanning were pleased to sign Letters of Intent for the Establishment of Sister City Relations and build up the mechanism for long-term sustainable communications and cooperation between our two sides in such fields as trade, emerging high-tech industries, education, culture and people to people exchanges.
"With these efforts, we are looking forward to sharing development opportunities and meeting challenges together in the pursuit of greater common prosperity in the future."
Nanning, located on the Vietnamese border, has a population of about seven million people and a GDP in 2017 of approximately £47bn. Its main industries include bio-engineering and pharmaceuticals, electrical and mechanical equipment manufacturing and information technology.