The mayors of Qiqihar, Heilongjiang province, and Guangzhou, Guangdong province held talks via video with the mayors of Ufa, Yekaterinburg, and Kazan, as well as Khabarovsk in Russia on June 17 to discuss measures to deepen communication and cooperation among the cities.

The mayors also signed an agreement on the establishment of a communication and cooperation mechanism among the six cities at the online conference, to inject new momentum into the development of all the participating cities.

Guangzhou has established sister-city ties with Yekaterinburg and Kazan, as well as friendly exchange and cooperation city relations with Khabarovsk, while Ufa is a sister city of Qiqihar. The cooperation mechanism built among the six cities opens a new chapter for the cooperation between Guangzhou and Qiqihar, the two cities which have been actively exploring new cooperation models under the cooperation framework between Guangdong province and Heilongjiang province. 

During the conference, the mayors of the six cities detailed the advantages that their cities boasted, as well as expressed wishes to enhance cooperation. They also agreed that through joint efforts, the vitality of the participating cities can be stimulated, while their cities' international status and image can be improved.

According to the letter of intent signed by the mayors at the conference, the six cities will launch cooperation and exchanges in the fields of culture, education, tourism, youth policies, medical care, economy, and trade, while mutual understanding between the cities' residents will also be promoted.

The mayors of Qiqihar, Guangzhou, Ufa, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, and Khabarovsk sign a cooperation letter of intent online. [Photo/WeChat account: GZWS411665430]