During a liaison dialogue in Haikou, Hainan province, on Tuesday, Aleksandra Sitarevic, a representative of Vojvodina, Serbia, expressed appreciation for Hainan's efforts to enhance cooperation with sister regions.
"We organized this dialogue to bring together all our friends, old and new, from sister and friendly regions here in Hainan to strengthen our bonds, discuss our friendship, enhance our mutual understanding and plan for our shared development," said Wang Lei, deputy director-general of the Hainan Foreign Affairs Office.
During the dialogue, information about 14 sister regions was shared, including details on geographic features, economic development, and cultural attributes. This was followed by in-depth explanations of Hainan Free Trade Port's preferential policies and the China International Consumer Products Expo.
Hainan officials emphasized the initiative's goal of creating a fair platform for information sharing, building partnerships and fostering cultural and economic exchanges with Hainan. All sister and friendly regions were encouraged to engage in more cooperative projects and work together to make even greater accomplishments.
Suo Deng, a representative from the US state of Hawaii, emphasized the long-standing friendship with Hainan. He expressed his hope for more mutually beneficial collaboration between the two sides, especially in the tourism, education and agriculture sectors, to create more resilient and sustainable economic landscapes for both regions.
Sitarevic said the Hainan provincial government has given top priority to fostering collaboration with sister regions, and highlighted the unwavering commitment and dedication of the sister regions to future collaborative endeavors and initiatives, underscoring Hainan's confidence in its sustained growth and promising prospects.
Hainan has established sister relationships with 68 international sister cities and 79 international friendship partners, which has increased its global connectivity and openness.