On the morning of March 28, a report on the establishment of the sister-city relationships between Guangzhou and Birmingham, Guangzhou and Hambantota were reviewed at the first session of the 13th Guangzhou People's Congress Standing Committee.

According to the "Measures for Important Issues Review and Decision-Making by the Guangzhou City People's Congress Standing Committee", to establish the sister-city relationship with a foreign city, local governments should report to the Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee, which can put forward their opinions and suggestions but has no right to give approval or make a decision.

On December 4 last year, the signing ceremony for the sister-city agreement between Birmingham and Guangzhou was held at the Town Hall in Birmingham. Guangzhou Mayor Zhang Guangning and the Birmingham Mayor signed the agreement on behalf of each government.

The agreement for the establishment of a sister-city relationship between Hambantota and Guangzhou was signed in Beijing on February 27 this year. Wang Fuchu, Deputy Director of the Guangzhou Foreign Affairs Office said yesterday that the event is consistent with the country's overall foreign policy. Hambantota is Guangzhou's first sister city in the South Asian region.

Hambantota, located in southern Sri Lanka and 240 km from the capital Colombo, is a port city with a long history. It is also a very popular tourist destination. The city has a population of approximately 600,000.

Editor: Yan