Shenzhen and the Italian city of Turin established friendship-city ties Friday after Shenzhen Mayor Xu Zongheng and his Turin counterpart signed an agreement to that effect.

Xu is on an official visit to Turin to promote cooperation between the city and Shenzhen. The mayor is also in Turin to witness the final International University Sports Federation (FISU) vote tomorrow to decide which city will host the 2011 Universiade. Shenzhen is one of the cities vying for that honor.

"The Silk Road linked China to the West 2,000 years ago and it happened that Marco Polo, an Italian, was the first European on the Chinese land. At the beginning of 2007, I am here in Turin to promote communication and cooperation between Shenzhen and Turin," Xu said during the signing ceremony at the Turin city hall.

"Turin is an automobile city with such famed manufacturers as Fiat. Shenzhen has high-tech industry as one of its pillars. Turin is an ancient city with rich cultural heritages, while Shenzhen is trying to make the cultural industry as a new economic powerhouse. Turin is a city of innovative designs. Shenzhen aims to become China's city of brand names. We have so many things in common and so much to share with each other."

Xu said cooperation under the pact will cover fields like education, medicine, culture, sports, city planning, industries, commerce and trade. "I am fully convinced that the cooperation will facilitate the progress of both cities and bring better lives to the citizens," he said.

Sergio Chiamparino, mayor of Turin, said he signed the agreement with Shenzhen with the full backing of the residents of the Italian city.

"Shenzhen is a young amazing city that has well-shaped high-tech sectors. It developed from a fishing town of 30,000 people into a metropolis with a population of nearly 10 million within 27 years. I envision in-depth cooperation with Shenzhen," Chiamparino said.

He mentioned a newly established modern China research institute in Turin and invited Shenzhen scholars to work there.

Zhang Limin, the Chinese consulate general in Milan, officials from the Italian foreign ministry, and Turin legislators also attended the ceremony.

Entrepreneurs and trade and commerce officials from the two cities convened a seminar Friday afternoon to exchange views on investment and trade opportunities. At the seminar, Liu Mingwei, an official with Shenzhen's trade development bureau, invited Turin companies to attend the China Hi-Tech Fair to be held in Shenzhen in October.

Turin, located in the north of Italy, is an important industrial center and ancient city with a history of 2,500 years. It was the capital of Italy between 1861 and 1864.

Editor: Yan