Delegation from New Zealand's Palmerston North visits Guiyang

Grant Smith, Mayor of Palmerston North in New Zealand, recently led a delegation to visit Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province. Lin Ping, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Guiyang Municipal Committee and Vice Mayor of Guiyang, met with the delegation.

Palmerston North and Guiyang established a sister city relationship in 1992.

During the visit, the delegation engaged in tours, inspections, and in-depth discussions at various locations including industrial parks, enterprises, schools, streets, and health centers. This fostered cooperation and mutual understanding.

Han Liyun, Secretary of Leading Party Members Group and Director of Guiyang Foreign Affairs Office; and Gao Sheng, Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee, Director of the Administrative Committee of Guiyang Free Trade Zone, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Baiyun District Committee, and Executive Deputy Head of Baiyun District Government, participated in relevant visits. Li Zejun, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Baiyun District Committee and Director of the district's publicity department; and Du Min, Deputy Head of Nanming District Government, also participated.

Lin Ping (right) meets with Grant Smith (left) on Jan 22. [Photo/wsb.guiyang.gov.cn]

On Jan 22, Lin met with the foreign delegation, and the two sides exchanged views on further deepening their sister city relationship, as well as exploring cooperation in economy, trade, ecological conservation, urban renewal, and education.

In Guizhou Shuanglong Airport Economic Zone, the delegation visited the zone's planning and exhibition center and its "one bureau and four centers" project, where they gained a comprehensive understanding of the economic and social development of the area. The delegation also highly praised the zone's development speed and model.

On the same day, the delegation visited Guizhou Communications Construction Group Co, where the delegation members gained detailed insights into the group's project achievements, representative outcomes, and engineering highlights.

The delegation and Guizhou Communications Construction Group Co engage in a seminar. [Photo/wsb.guiyang.gov.cn]

They also engaged in discussions with Han Hongju, Member of the Party Committee, Deputy General Manager and Chief Engineer of Guizhou Communications Construction Group. These discussions focused on technological innovation, market development, project construction, school-enterprise cooperation, and financial support. Both sides expressed their hope to enhance cooperation and to help the company expand the New Zealand market.

On Jan 23 at Dula Township Bouyei Elementary School and Dula No 11 Kindergarten in Baiyun district, the delegation appreciated performances such as Caoba dragon dances and bamboo pole dances. They also got to experience unique teaching activities, such as embroidery, batik dyeing, stove-boiled tea, and making the dough for ciba, a glutinous rice delicacy.

The delegation members experience stove-boiled tea at Dula No 11 Kindergarten in Baiyun district on Jan 23. [Photo/wsb.guiyang.gov.cn]

The delegation gained appreciation for the local ethnic culture in Baiyun district. They expressed sincere gratitude for the warm welcome from the children and highly praised the students' artworks and the school's distinctive teaching methods. The delegation also reached a preliminary cooperation intention with the school and the kindergarten to establish sister school relations and strengthen cultural exchanges.

While visiting the Guiyang International Land Port, the Guiyang cross-border e-commerce warehouse, the China (Guiyang) second-hand vehicle export base, Grandblue (Guiyang) Solid Waste Treatment Co, and the Qingshan Regenerated Water Plant, the delegation gained detailed insights into the operations of relevant enterprises and the construction of the city's open platforms, while exploring the potential for practical cooperation in the fields of environmental protection and trade.

In Nanming district, the delegation visited Yuxi Alley, Cao Zhuangyuan Street, and the Xingfuli Elderly Care Center, and other livelihood projects. The delegation was introduced to the background and management systems of these projects, and expressed the hope to co-share experience and practices in urban renewal and health care within the framework of the sister city relationship, for the betterment of the people in both cities.

The delegation members pose for a group photo on Cao Zhuangyuan Street in Nanming district on Jan 23. [Photo/wsb.guiyang.gov.cn]