Cebu eyeing firm trade, tourism ties with Fujian

CEBU, Philippines —  Cebu and China’s Fujian province are looking at boosting tourism and people-to-people exchange.

Fujian Vice Gov. Gou Ningning, in his recent visit in Cebu, expressed the Chinese province’s commitment into boosting cooperation with Cebu in the areas of tourism and trade.

It was last year when the two provinces signed a sisterhood agreement in which both pledged to work in boosting trade and investment, as well as tourism.

Last April 22, Gou led the Chinese delegation during a meeting with officials from the Cebu provincial government.

Gou said Cebu and Fujian should look for opportunities that would benefit them amid the steady economic growth of both provinces and the good relationship between China and the Philippines.

Relationship between Fujian and Cebu has long been established, with most of the ancestors of Filipino-Chinese communities in the country coming from Fujian.

Gov. Hilario Davide III and Fujian Gov. Tang Dengjie formally sealed the friendship ties between the two provinces in September last year during a visit by Chinese officials in Cebu.

Their agreement includes a people-to-people exchange program in which the Chinese offered scholarship grants to 10 young officials or students from Cebu for bachelor’s degrees in Fujian universities.

Cebu and Fujian started the program in November last year when the Cebu provincial government sent 12 Cebuano youths to Fujian for a two-week youth exchange visit.

The Fujian government also did the same.