Philippine delegation visits Xiamen

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of sister-city relations between Xiamen and Cebu in Philippines. [Photo/fao.xm.gov.cn]

A delegation from the city of Cebu in the Philippines led by newly-appointed mayor Edgardo C. Labella visited Xiamen, Fujian province from Sept 6 to 11, officials said.

They came to attend the 2019 China International Fair for Investment & Trade, or CIFIT and celebrate the 35th anniversary of sister-city relations with Xiamen.

The Philippine delegation consisted of representatives from local government sectors involved in tourism, trade, legal affairs, culture and protocol as well as the Philippines-China chambers of commerce in Cebu.

On Sept 8, Zhuang Jiahan, mayor of Xiamen, met with the delegation and briefed them on his city's economic development, urban construction and business environment.

Zhuang said that Philippines is an important country involved in the Belt and Road Initiative and Cebu is one of Xiamen's earliest and closest sister cities and he hoped both cities would continue to expand their exchanges in a bid to become a role model for friendly relations between China and the Philippines.

Labella lauded the tremendous achievements made by Xiamen in its social and economic development.

Xiamen and Cebu have engaged in closer ties over the past 35 years and the latter's municipal government decided to rename a road in downtown Cebu as Xiamen Street, Labella said.

Labella added that he also expected more exchanges with Xiamen in various other fields under the framework of the BRI.

Cebu had two stands at the exhibition area of Fujian's international sister cities at the 2019 CIFIT. They briefed visitors on its economic, tourism and cultural industries and promoted its traditional handicrafts and special foods.

During their stay in Xiamen, the Philippine delegation also visited the First Affiliated Hopital of Xiamen University and a waste treatment plant in Haicang district to learn from their experiences in public hospital management and garbage sorting.

Cebu shares its name with the island on which it is located, Cebu Island, and the province of which it is the capital. As the second-largest city in the Philippines, Cebu covers an area of 340 square kilometers and is home to 1.9 million people.

Since the two cities established sister-city relations in 1984, Xiamen and Cebu have conducted close exchanges in such areas as the economy, culture, tourism, education, fire fighting and youth development.