Qiu Dongyao, mayor of Ningbo, meets Carlos Miguel Pereira Hernandez, Cuba's ambassador to China, in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province on May 31. [Photo/Ningbo Daily]

Qiu Dongyao, mayor of Ningbo, met Carlos Miguel Pereira Hernandez, Cuba's ambassador to China, in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province on May 31.

Ningbo is an important port city on the southeastern coast of China and an economic hub situated in the south of the Yangtze River Delta region.

According to Qiu, Ningbo has maintained close links with Cuban cities over the years, and the city is currently striving to build itself into a modern coastal metropolis. He also hopes that the ambassador's visit will cement links between Ningbo and Cuba in fields including port, trade, culture and tourism.

Pereira Hernandez expressed his gratitude for the support provided by Ningbo in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba.

Cuba and China have a long-term and profound traditional friendship, and Ningbo is an important port for Cuban goods to enter the Chinese market, he said.

Pereira Hernandez said that more efforts will be made to deepen exchanges and cooperation between Ningbo and Cuban cities in various fields.

Néstor Enrique Torres Olivera, Consul General of Cuba in Shanghai, and Zhu Jinmao, secretary general of the Ningbo Municipal People's Government, also attended the meeting.