Liuzhou strengthens cooperation with EU

A city exchange meeting under the China-EU Regional Dialogue Cooperation Mechanism was held in Liuzhou, Guangxi on June 13, bringing discussions and exchanges, as well as signing framework agreements on urban cooperation between Liuzhou and the EU.

A delegation led by Ronald Hall, principal advisor at EU (European Commission) DG for Regional and Urban Policy, consisting of 40 experts from European cities such as Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg, Germany, Barcelona, Spain, Rome, and Italy visited well-known enterprises in Liuzhou over the past few days.

At the meeting, they explored the development concepts of cities in China and Europe, shared successful experiences of urban development in China and Europe, as well as discussed cooperation and development in a number of key areas.

Pablo Gandara, manager of the EU international urban cooperation (IUC) projects, expressed hope to take the opportunity to promote more cooperation between Chinese cities and EU cities. Shi Xin, deputy manager of the EU IUC project, proposed that the two sides can cooperate in smart cities, circular economy, big health, education, as well as culture and tourism. Shi noted that they can build a cooperation industry center platform through the introduction of university institutions, technical team guidance, chambers of commerce, and enterprises.

The China National Development and Reform Commission and the European Union launched the China-EU Regional Policy Dialogue Cooperation Mechanism in 2006. The two parties started the IUC project in 2017 to build a cooperation and exchange platform for dozens of cities in China and Europe to carry out the docking cooperation of specific projects, further deepening regional cooperation between China and Europe.

Liuzhou, a major industrial city in Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, was selected as a case city for IUC projects under the European Regional Policy Cooperation Mechanism in 2018. To date, Liuzhou has started the construction of the China-EU Strategic Cooperation Demonstration Zone with 17 foreign-invested enterprises.

In the future, the city will deepen cooperation with European cities in industrial transformation and upgrading, economic and trade cooperation, scientific and technological innovation, as well as urban transformation to explore new ways to promote high-quality development.