Zhanjiang Mayor Jiang Jianjun received a delegation headed by his Portsmouth peer, Lee Mason, on Oct 31 to discuss further exchanges and cooperation in education and tourism.

Zhanjiang Mayor Jiang Jianjun and his Portsmouth peer, Lee Mason discuss further exchanges and cooperation in education and tourism on Oct 31. [Photo/zhanjiang.gov.cn]

Portsmouth is a port city in Hampshire, on the southern coast of England. It forged sister-city ties with Zhanjiang on May 12, 2017.

Lingnan Normal University and the University of Portsmouth also signed a cooperation agreement last June to establish a British education service center and launch 3+1+1 combined bachelor's-master's degree programs.

A cooperation agreement is signed between Lingnan Normal University and University of Portsmouth in June 2017. [Photo/lingnan.edu.cn]

Jiang extended a warm welcome to the delegates, and briefed them on local economic and social development. The southern Chinese city has many opportunities for development with the accelerated construction of high-speed railways, airports and expressways. A number of major industrial projects, including Baosteel Zhanjiang, Zhongke Refinery & Petrochemical, and BASF will break ground, accelerate construction, or expand production.

According to Jiang, the two port cities have many similarities in their geographical locations, allowing Zhanjiang to draw from Portsmouth's experience in naval port service, industrial development, education, and tourism.

Lee Mason, impressed with Zhanjiang's urban construction during his two visits, hopes that the two cities can extend their cooperation to more sectors.