THE Cebu City Government has renewed its sister-city relations with Xiamen, a city in Fujian Province in the People’s Republic of China.
With this, Cebu City can expect more investors and assistance from the latter, said Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella, who also thanked the Xiamen City Government for the help it has extended to Cebu in the last 35 years of “sisterhood.”
On Sept. 8, 2019, Labella, together with some City department heads and officials, left for Xiamen to participate in the Silk Road Forum. While there, Labella presented services the City could offer, as well as developments in Cebu City, particularly in tourism.
The forum featured speakers from various countries.
At the end of the forum, Labella said some showed interest to invest in Cebu City, mostly in hotels and resorts.
On Oct. 28, Labella said some officials of the Xiamen Government will visit Cebu to hand over two fire trucks.
Aside from the forum, Labella and his entourage visited Xiamen’s waste-to-energy facility and several hospitals. They were apprised of Xiamen’s public housing development.
Labella said they also agreed to send some of the staff of the Cebu City Medical Center for training in Xiamen.
In Xiamen, there was a trade fair where products from various countries were displayed and Cebu had a stall displaying products like dried mangoes and “banig,” among others, courtesy of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Chinese Chamber.
“We have a booth there and it is popular in the fair, thanks to Cebu Chamber of Commerce (and Industry) and Chinese Chamber, which put up a booth there and they were able to persuade some investors to invest in Cebu City,” Labella said.
Labella has also asked Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia to come up with an ordinance naming a street in Cebu City after Xiamen. Xiamen had named a street after Cebu 15 years ago yet.
“As our way of reciprocity, we will also pass an ordinance to make Xiamen Street here,” he said.
The mayor is eying a street in the North Reclamation Area.
He hopes the ordinance will be approved and enacted so Xiamen St. will already be there when the Xiamen Government officials arrive in October. (JJL)