19 July 2017

Palmerston North and Guiyang celebrate 25 years of Sister City relationship

The 25 year anniversary of the Sister City relationship between Guiyang, China and Palmerston North was celebrated at a special event in Guiyang today.

During the event, Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith and Guiyang Mayor Liu Wenxin signed a Letter of Intent to cooperate on education, vocational training, consultancy and research.

In recognition of the signing of the Letter of Intent and the 25th anniversary, UCOL and Palmerston North City Council announced the establishment of 25 $10,000 scholarships for students from Guiyang.

“Guiyang is a thriving and top performing city, and is positioning itself as a world leader in environmental sustainability and big data,” says Mayor Smith.

“We’re committed to growing education links between our cities and also had a fruitful discussion about a possible economic cooperation agreement to advance business and commercial cooperation.”

Guiyang Mayor, Liu Wenxin says 25 years and in the long history of human history, is a brief moment. “But in this time, our two cities have established a deep friendship, formed good mechanisms for collaboration and fruitful cooperation.”

Guiyang is the Capital of Guizhou province. With a population of almost five million people it offers a number of opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation. The city has indicated they want to establish sister schools and send over Chinese language teachers to Palmerston North.

“Other members of the delegation are advancing a number of exciting opportunities while we’re here and are discussing draft economic and tourism agreements,” says Mayor Smith. “These span the beef trade, specialist helicopter pilot training and related services, and Massey University’s existing relationship with Guizhou University.”

The Mayor is currently in China with a special delegation to explore business opportunities and undertake a number of education, agribusiness and tech visits.

The delegation includes representatives from Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Central Economic Development Agency, Building Clever Companies, Massey University, UCOL, Helisolutions, BlueSky Group, and Southern Cross International Import & Export Trade Ltd.

ENDS

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