
HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnamand Chongqing city of China agreed on August 30 to set up friendship-cityrelations in an effort to expand bilateral cooperation in various fields.
The agreement came after a meeting between Vice Chairmanof the HCM City People’s Committee Tran Vinh Tuyen and Chongqing Mayor TangLiangzhi in the Vietnamese southern largest hub.
Under the pact, they agreed to increase the exchange ofvisits between governmental officials and people from the two cities, andpromote collaboration in economy, trade, education, transport, urbandevelopment, culture, tourism, and science-technology to bring benefits forboth sides.
Speaking at the meeting, Tuyen said HCM City hasestablished friendship and cooperative ties with seven cities and provinces inChina, including Guangdong province and Guangzhou city, but the two sides haveonly engaged in visit exchanges but have not had many specific cooperationprojects.
Against the backdrop of the growing Vietnam-China ties,the establishment of friendship-city relations between HCM City and Chongqingis in line with the common perceptions of top leaders of both nations to fostercollaboration between the two countries’ localities, he noted.
The move will help develop the bilateral relationship andcreate favourable conditions for HCM City to expand cooperation with China’swestern region, the vice chairman added.
He moved on to say that the similarities in management,economy, culture, and society between the two cities would be fundamental to reinforcingthe bilateral partnership in the future, particularly in the areas of strength liketechnology and tourism.
Tang, for his part, said the signing of the memorandum ofunderstanding (MoU) on establishing the friendship-city relationship will pavethe way for the two sides to accelerate cooperation activities and take theirrelations to a new height.
Trade and tourism ties between HCM City and Chongqing havemade remarkable progress over the years, he noted.
Chongqing wants to cooperate with HCM City intransportation, Tang said, adding that enterprises from Chongqing expect HCMCity to provide them with all possible conditions to invest in logistics, infrastructureand sea port development, education, and tourism.–VNA