Cebu province and the Chinese province of Guangdong may soon forge a sisterhood agreement.
Members of a Chinese delegation, headed by Kang Won Lee and Guangdong Office of Foreign Affairs deputy director general Wang Shitong, expressed their desire to establish certain areas of cooperation with the Province of Cebu during their recent visit to the Philippines.
Lee told Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia that they already established sisterhood agreements with provinces in Spain, Brazil and Taiwan but not yet in the Philippines.
Lee said they chose Cebu Province to forge ties with because they were impressed by the governance of Garcia, leading to the unprecedented growth and development of Cebu which is now the number one province in the country.
Guangdong is one of China’s first provinces to embrace the market-oriented economic policy enunciated by the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaopeng. Its capital is Guangzhou, formerly known as Canton.
During her visit to China in 2006 with President Gloria Arroyo, Garcia said there were initial talks about a probable sisterhood agreement with Guangdong Governor Huang Huahua.
The delegation also invited Garcia to visit Guangdong in August together with the Provincial Board and the different chambers of commerce representatives for the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two provinces.
The trip will also cover the final arrangement involving the province’s concrete areas of cooperation.
Projected results of the sisterhood include direct chartered flights from Guangdong to Cebu, tie-ups from the provinces’ universities and partnerships with each of their business sectors.
Tourism is also on top of the list of Guangdong.
Governor Huang Huahua is also expected to visit Cebu in October when the official signing of the sisterhood agreement will take place.
Other provinces that Cebu has forged sisterhood ties with include Vlademir in Russia and Chiangmai in Thailand. — Garry B. Lao/BRP (THE FREEMAN)