Guizhou, Chile's O'Higgins Region reach cooperation agreement

Representatives of Guizhou and O'Higgins Region sign a cooperation memorandum. [Photo/Guizhou People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries]

Southwest China's Guizhou province and Chile's O'Higgins Region signed a cooperation memorandum in Guiyang on June 16.

China and Chile have a long history of relations, and both countries have made steady progress in cooperation in various fields.

Guizhou has been attaching heavy importance to developing friendly relations with O'Higgins Region, and in 2018, with the help of the Chinese Embassy in Chile, Guizhou and O'Higgins Region began carrying out exchanges.

In 2019, both sides reached a consensus on enhancing exchanges and cooperation, and in 2022, the Chinese Embassy in Chile continued to support exchanges between the two sides.

Zhang Hanlin, director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Guizhou Province, expressed hope that both sides will carry out exchanges and cooperation in trade, wine, agricultural technologies, culture and tourism.

He expressed hope that both areas would become tourism destinations that complement each other and mutually promote tourism. Zhang also invited the head of O'Higgins Region to attend the International Mountain Tourism Conference online.

The office will cooperate with the O'Higgins Region's industry and development bureau to establish a cooperation platform for departments and industries from both areas, promote the implementation of cooperation projects, and achieve mutual benefits in the future.

Both Guizhou and O'Higgins Region said they hope to sign a friendly relation agreement as soon as possible.

O'Higgins Region is experienced in vegetable growing, fruit growing and winemaking. The region's fruit output accounts for 51 percent of Chile's total, and cherries and plums are the region's most important agricultural exports.

The region is currently striving to reduce the impact of drought on local agriculture through efficient irrigation and financial support, and plans to cooperate with Guizhou in efficient irrigation.

He Qingcai, vice-president of the Guizhou Academy of Agriculture Science, said he hopes to imitate O'Higgins Region's excellent fruit tree varieties and advanced cultivation techniques and learn from the region's efficient cherry irrigation technology.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, He suggested both areas carry out an online training session on planting and cultivation technology and management, and said he hopes to send a delegation to the region to learn more about fruit tree production management technology after the pandemic.

Wen Weiya, assistant to the secretary general of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance, said she hopes the O'Higgins Region's tourism bureau and travel agencies join the alliance, and invited the region to share its experience in mountain tourism development.