Qingdao and Kandy establish friendly cooperation city relation
Kandy-Qingdao Online Dialogue on Friendly Cooperation of 2021 Thematic Events of “Sister City Cooperation for a Shared Future”was held in Qingdao municipal organ conference center on November 15, 2021, Zhao Haozhi, vice Party chief and mayor of Qingdao, addressed the event. Qingdao and Kandy inked an agreement on establishment of friendly cooperation city relation.
In his speech, Zhao Haozhi said located at Shandong Peninsula, Qingdao is an important coastal center and an international port city, featuring tourism, long history and culture, profound industrial foundation in smart home appliances, rail transit, automobile, mechanical equipment etc., convenient traffic and beautiful landscape. Noting that China and Sri Lanka have a long history of friendly communication and Qingdao municipal government would continue to strengthen economic and trade interaction and friendly communication with Sri Lanka under the framework of the strategic cooperation partnership of the two countries, Mr. Zhao said Kandy is the second largest city in Sri Lanka and the religious culture center of the country, the two cities have a good cooperation prospect in trade, economy, culture, education and tourism etc. Pointing out that at present Qingdao builds China-SCO Local Economic Cooperation Demonstration Zone and forges a new international cooperation platform for Belt and Road, Zhao Haozhi hoped the two cities to give play to the exchange and cooperation platform to strengthen mutual investment, trade, culture and tourism cooperation. The mayor urged more mutual business and investment among the two cities and more government interaction and people-to-people communication to benefit the citizens of the two cities.
During the dialogue, officials from the two cities introduced and publicized their own cities.
By now, Qingdao has established sister city or friendly cooperation city relations with 82 cities across 44 countries, 10 of them are cities from SCO countries. Qingdao gives full play to the role of sister city and friendly cooperation city in boosting local economic and social development and builds high end international cooperation platform to continue to enhance international competitiveness of the city in the world arena and to boost the international awareness and influence of the city.
Qi Zhenhong, Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka and Palitha Kohona, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China, Kesera Senanayake, mayor of Kandy, addressed the event, Xue Qingguo, vice mayor of Qingdao, presided over the dialogue.
Kandy is both an administrative and religious city and is also the capital of the Central Province. Kandy is the home of the Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa). It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1988.