Xiamen to strengthen ties with Brazilian city

The coastal city of Xiamen in Fujian province and the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu have vowed to strengthen their sister-city ties after two officials from Foz do Iguaçu paid a visit to Xiamen from Nov 10-13.

On Nov 12, Guo Guirong, deputy mayor of Xiamen, held talks with her counterpart, Nilton Aparecido Bobato. Bobato learnt about the experience of Xiamen in city management. They discussed possible cooperation projects in sectors such as tourism, culture and sport. They also agreed to send delegations to each other's city on a regular basis, and encourage athletes to participate in marathons in each other's city, too.

Guo Guirong (right), deputy mayor of Xiamen, shakes hands with her counterpart, Nilton Aparecido Bobato (left) on Nov 12, 2017. [Photo/xmfo.gov.cn]

On Nov 13, the Brazilian city held a tourism promotion event in Xiamen, which attracted more than 10 major local travel agencies. After learning about issues related to visas and flights, the agencies expressed a willingness to launch a tourism route to Foz do Iguaçu and other Brazilian cities.

The Brazilian guests also held talks with representatives from the Xiamen Municipal Education Bureau and Xiamen No 2 Middle School, during which the two sides exchanged their ideas on conducting campus football exchanges. The Xiamen No 2 Middle School also invited young athletes from the Brazilian city to take part in a football tournament in 2018.

During his stay in Xiamen, Bobato paid a visit to the Gulangyu Island, which was listed as a UNESCO world cultural heritage site in July this year. He also went to the Xiamen Software Park that houses major technology companies such as the photo-editing app developer Meitu Inc.