Wuxi looks to strengthen cooperative ties with sister cities

Wuxi of Jiangsu province is set to enhance cooperation with its international sister cities, said government officials, diplomats and entrepreneurs at a forum and a conference celebrating the 40th anniversary of Wuxi's friendly exchanges with its sister cities.

Several projects related to carbon reduction across various industries were also launched during the 10th Wuxi International Sister Cities Forum and 2021 Wuxi International Industrial Cooperation Conference held in Yixing on Tuesday and Wednesday. They include the Sino-Dutch Big Data Industrial Platform, a venture between Wuxi and its Dutch sister city s-Hertogenbosch, the China-ASEAN Environmental Protection Industry and Technology Cooperation Base, and other projects in the China-Europe Zero-Carbon Tech Park.

"This year marks the 40th anniversary of Wuxi's friendly exchanges with its sister cities. We are presently accelerating industrial upgrading, promoting the liberalization of trade and investment, and hoping for more collaboration with our sister cities at a higher level," said Zhao Jianjun, acting mayor of Wuxi, at the opening of the forum.

Wuxi in southern Jiangsu province is a prominent historical and cultural city in China that has been a thriving economic center since ancient times. While it used to be known as a major producer of rice, silk and textiles, the city has in the last few decades emerged as a prolific manufacturer of electrical motors, software, solar technology and bicycle parts.

Since Wuxi established its first sister city relationship with Japan's Akashi in 1981, the city has gone on to forge relations with 50 foreign cities from 28 countries all over the world.

Zhao said the city has benefited from its cooperation with sister cities over the past four decades. Frequent exchanges, he added, have yielded friendship, trust and mutual developments.

Last January, when China was faced with the first wave of COVID-19, Akashi donated face masks and other medical materials to support Wuxi. Four months later, when the pandemic hit Japan, Wuxi sent several batches of medical supplies to show its support for Akashi.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has hampered the exchanges between our two cities. But our care and support for each other highlights the strength of this friendship we have built over the years," said Fusaho Izumi, the mayor of Akashi.

Andrei Andreev, consul general of Belarus in Shanghai, said the forum is important platform that facilitates inter-region cooperation, noting that the two nations have launched the China-Belarus Year of Regions for 2021-2022.

"We strongly support partner ties and mutually beneficial cooperation between the Mogilev region and the Gomel region of Belarus and Jiangsu province of China, as well as the cooperation between Bobruysk and Wuxi related to the supply of high-quality Belarusian-made food and other products," said Andreev.

According to Wuxi government, more than 100 Fortune 500 companies have invested or set up operations in the city, and the import and export volume of the city is on the brink of exceeding $100 billion this year.

Roger Xie, the business development director of Rolls-Royce China who attended the forum's dialogue on carbon neutrality on Tuesday, spoke about the importance of international cooperation in tackling the problems brought by climate change.

"We are looking for partners in China and in Wuxi for our new energy solution Microgrids, which can help companies reduce energy costs and carbon emissions," he said. "The Wuxi International Industrial Cooperation Conference provides us with good opportunities to meet local companies and discuss potential cooperation."

Hartmut Michel, the Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry and a honorary citizen of Wuxi, said. "I've been to many cities around the world. Wuxi has left a deep impression on me with their unique charm, rich historic details, as well as energetic, industrious and patient approach to exploration."

"Entrepreneurs in Wuxi are intelligent and pragmatic. My team and I are willing to maintain a multidimensional cooperation relationship with Wuxi," he added.

"I encourage more overseas talents to come to Wuxi and Jiangyin to innovate and start their careers."

Xin Siyuan contributed to the story.