DAVAO City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte, on behalf of Davao City, signed agreements with the Senior Adviser of the Jinjiang Municipal Government, Zhang Wenxian, further strengthening the relationship between the city and Jinjiang City in various areas of cooperation.
The parties signed the Framework Agreement between Davao City and Jinjiang City for Economic, Trade, and Business Development after the courtesy call of a 38-man delegation from Jinjiang, composed of government officials and high-ranking business executives, on February 28, 2023, at the Arcadia Event Center.
Among the companies present are Anta Sports Products Limited, a Chinese sports equipment multinational corporation headquartered in Jinjiang, and Panpan, a food manufacturing firm that focuses on agricultural production, distribution, and marketing of packed food items, which expressed interest in doing business in Davao City.
Also present during the Courtesy Call is the Southeast Asia head of Xiamen Airlines, signaling their intent to resume the Davao-Jinjiang direct flight.
In his message, Mayor Duterte expressed his appreciation for the visit of the Jinjiang delegation and said that Davao City is open to any activity that will benefit its people. He also added that during his visit to Jinjiang in 2019, he envisioned having companies like Anta and Panpan to do business in Davao to open employment opportunities in the city.
He also said that the local government does its best to provide a conducive business environment for all businesses and make doing business easier and more convenient.
Mr. Zhang Wenxian said that he brought these businesses to Davao City with the aim of having them get acquainted with the city and eventually consider doing business here.
Davao City Investment and Promotion Officer-in-Charge April Marie Dayap, in her speech during the event, said "the sister city relationship we have with Jinjiang City in the People's Republic of China is one of the most important partnerships the city has."
“Over the years, this resulted in many programs and collaborations that benefitted both Davao and Jinjiang. And today's Signing of the Agreement is a clear manifestation that the relationship between the two cities continues to grow,” Dayap said.
Apart from the Framework Agreement, two more agreements were signed between high-ranking business executives from Jinjiang and local organizations and companies here in Davao.
A Memorandum of Collaborating and Facilitating the Resumption of Davao Flight was signed between Xiamen Airlines and the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc (DCCCII). The document was signed by Xiamen Airlines Quanzuo Branch General Manager Mr. Hu Bin and DCCII Executive Vice-President Ms. Belinda Torres.
A Project Cooperation Framework Agreement between Anta and SM was also signed by Anta Southeast Asia President Mr. Wang Huayou and Shopping Center Management Corp. President Mr. Steven Tan.
The signing of the agreements was also witnessed by city officials including Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on International Relations Chair Councilor Javi Campos and City Information Office Officer-In-Charge Mr. Harvey Lanticse.
Campos, in his opening speech, said that he is hopeful that the visit of the delegation from Jinjiang will open more opportunities and collaborations. (CIO)