Sister Cities

Zhuhai has established sister-city relations with 13 foreign cities since 1987, including Surrey (Canada), Redwood City (United States), Castelo Branco (Portugal), Atami (Japan), Suwon (South Korea), Vitoria (Brazil), Gavle (Sweden), Braunschweig (Germany), Zhukovsky (Russia), Gold Coast (Australia), Portsmouth (Britain) and Gwadar (Pakistan).

Sister cities of Zhuhai

Surrey, Canada

Relationship established: July 8, 1987

Overview: Surrey is advanced in its traffic network, steel and manufacturing, and food processing. Education, medical care and hi-tech industries uphold the economy.

Redwood City, USA

Relationship established: October 11, 1993

Overview: The primary industry of Redwood City is software. Software companies account for half of the employed population. It is home to Oracle and DHL.

Castelo Branco, Portugal

Relationship established: September 29, 1994

Overview: Agriculture plays a primary role in Castelo Branco’s economy, while the pillar is tertiary industry. Transportation, business travel, finance and insurance are prominent.

Atami, Japan

Relationship established: July 25, 2004

Overview: Atami, which means “hot ocean,” is famous for hot springs and spas, its beach and boardwalk, and as a winter resort in eastern Shizouka prefecture, Japan.

Suwon, South Korea

Relationship established: August 23, 2006

Overview: Suwon is the capital of Gyeonggi province in South Korea. The city has history and culture, advanced science and technology, and is home to Samsung and SK.

Victoria, Brazil

Relationship established: June 24, 2010

Overview: Victoria, a historic port city of incomparable beauty, has 34 islands and is the largest producer of iron ore in Brazil. It also provides services to business tourism.

Gavle, Sweden

Relationship established: August 10, 2010

Overview: Gavle is an important harbor and livable city in Sweden. Founded in 1446, it is famous as the “Capital of the European Geographical Information Industry.”

Braunschweig, German

Relationship established: June 1, 2011

Overview: Braunschweig was a metropolis in medieval Germany. It is now a transportation hub for Berlin and Hamburg, and a center of scientific research.

Zhukovsky, Russia

Relationship established: August 27, 2012

Overview: The city’s namesake, Nikolay Zhukovsky, was the founding father of modern aero- and hydrodynamic sciences. It has major facilities for testing and designing Russian aircraft.

Gold Coast, Australia

Relationship established: November 16, 2012

Overview: Gold Coast is a major tourist city and film production center in Australia, noted for sunny climate, surfing and nightlife. It will host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Portsmouth, Britain

Relationship established: March 25, 2014

Overview: Portsmouth is known as “Hometown of the Royal Marines.” The busiest naval base, cruise ship and ferry port in the United Kingdom, it is a transportation hub for Europe.

Gwadar, Pakistan

Relationship established: April 20, 2015

Overview: Formerly dependent upon fishing, Gwadar is being transformed into a major port city with improved communication links with the rest of Pakistan.

Gdynia, Poland

Relationship established: May 17, 2017

Overview: Gdynia was established in 1926 on the south coast of Baltic Sea covering 136 sq m. With population of around 250,000, it has developed into an important seaport as well as a hub for marine economy, international trade, science, education, culture, and tourism.

Highlights

1. Zhuhai values city-to-city exchanges

Zhuhai’s sister cities are in Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Oceania. Through them, Zhuhai has a myriad of opportunities to enhance international cooperation. As Qiu Shan, director of the International Economic Research Institute at the Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences, notes, city-to-city exchanges are important to Zhuhai as a supporting city to the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

2. Sister cities share a lot in common

Surrey, the first one, is located near the Canada-America border. Famous, as is Zhuhai, for parks and green space, it is known as a “Garden City.” After Surrey, a quartet of famous tourist cities is formed by Zhuhai, Gavle, Gold Coast, and Atami. Portsmouth’s similarities extend to a group of colleges, universities and vocational schools. 

In addition, Portsmouth has long experience with the International Kite Festival, Marine Festival, Volvo Ocean Race and Half-Marathon, whereas Zhuhai is fledgling host to a Half-Marathon and Ocean International Music Festival. Likewise, the young city of Zhuhai is building hi-tech industry while many of the sister cities are well developed in high technology. For example, Suwon is the headquarters of Samsung, whereas Zhukovsky has a world-leading Aerospace Research Center and hosts the Russian Aviation & Space Salon.

“Generally, the sister-city relations are based on similarity of development and resources. Zhuhai has a lot in common with its friends,” said Peng Peng, vice chairman of the Experts Committee at China’s South Non-Governmental Think-Tank. City-to-city cooperation is extended to enterprises, institutions, and social organizations.

3. Sister cities promote each other

“Zhuhai aims to be an international livable city,” stated Qiu Shan. “This requires certain international clout, not only in economic support, but also cultural and social exchanges. City-to-city friendship will benefit it.” In cooperation with sister-city relationships, Zhuhai clearly is garnering substantial international influence.