2018 marks the 30th anniversary of sister relationship between Guangzhou and Frankfurt.
The Frankfurt delegation in the Frankfurt Rose Garden in Guangzhou’s Liuhua Park
From November 10th to 13th, Peter Feldman, Mayor of Frankfurt, and Stephan Siegler, City Council Chairman of Frankfurt, led a delegation to visit Guangzhou and signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further partnership between the two cities.
Chen Zhiying, Deputy Mayor of Guangzhou, said trades between Germany and Guangzhou have stretched rapidly in the recent years, with the trade volume increasing 32 percent to US$ 5.6 billion in 2017.
“Germany and Guangzhou have great potential for cooperation. Thus far, German companies such as BASF and Lufthansa have settled 160 projects in Guangzhou while 17 Guangzhou companies and institutes have been set up in Germany with a total investment of US$ 221 million,” said Chen.
During the visit, mayors of the two cities signed a MoU, which is expected to guide the cooperation in investment & trade, technology & innovation, tourism and education. It also indicates that the two cities will work to establish the “Guangzhou-Frankfurt-Lyon Economic Alliance” and build a new cooperative platform.
Merck, the Germen tech conglomerate, signed an agreement with Guangzhou Development District to establish an innovation hub which will integrate the advanced technologies and expertise of Merck and its partners such as startups, academic institutions, business partners, and local government. The hub is scheduled to open in Guangzhou in September 2019.
Reported by Jasmine Yin, Hainan Song
Edited by Wing Zhang
The launching ceremony of the Guangzhou-Frankfurt photo exhibition
On November 12th, a photo exhibition with the theme of “A Tale of Close Cities with Close People” was launched in Guangzhou Library to commemorate the friendship between Guangzhou and Frankfurt. The exhibited photos were collected from the government, schools, and local citizens, showcasing the footprints of exchange and cooperation over the past 30 years.
Peter Feldman, Stephan Siegler Martin Fleischer, Consul General of Germany in Guangzhou and Chen Zhiying attended the launching ceremony.
Apart from the photo exhibition, citizens can have a taste of Frankfurt’s vibes through the “Cider Bottle” decoration in Yuntai Garden, Frankfurt Rose Garden in Liuhua Park, Frankfurt baboons in Guangzhou Zoo and “Guangzhou-Frankfurt Friendship Tram” which is circulating along the Pearl River Bank through Canton Tower.
Since the sister relationship established in 1988, Guangzhou and Frankfurt have carried out a series of fruitful programs in the fields of economy, culture, education, and sports. For example, the exchange program between Zhixin Middle School and Anna Schmidt School has been operating for 18 years, and allows teenagers to experience the different atmospheres of two cities.
