Irkutsk and Shenzhen signed a cooperation memorandum at the China Internationalization Symposium, making the first step toward possible sister city ties. The document opens prospects for trade and economic relations, joint projects in microelectronics, biotechnology and wood processing, and investment in industrial parks. The Irkutsk delegation also learned from Shenzhen, one of the worlds largest high tech and manufacturing centers.
This event took place as part of the Internationalization Symposium, which was held in Shenzhen (PRC) on November 18. The memorandum was signed by the Deputy Mayor of Irkutsk and Chairman of the Committee on Economy, Alexey Almukhamedov, and the Deputy Mayor for Economy of Shenzhen, Zhang Wen. The document reflects the intentions of both sides to develop relations and promote trade and economic cooperation. The initiative to sign the memorandum and subsequently establish sister-city ties came from the administration of the city of Irkutsk.“The administration of the city of Irkutsk is interested in cooperation with cities that are major and active economic centers,” Alexey Almukhamedov commented. “The establishment of official ties between cities is the foundation for the development of relations between business representatives. We are interested in creating joint ventures in the fields of microelectronics, biotechnology, and timber processing, as well as attracting investment into the city’s economy. In particular, into the creation of industrial parks. The Chinese side also demonstrated this interest.”
Members of the Irkutsk delegation, which also included staff from the tourism and international activities department, visited the high-tech exhibition. It is in Shenzhen that the headquarters and production facilities of the largest Chinese manufacturers are located. The city is the center of high technology and production in South China, the fourth busiest container port in the world, and the fourth largest tourist center in China.
The city of Shenzhen, the participants of the trip say, serves as an example of the “Chinese economic miracle” and Deng Xiaoping’s “open door policy.” Over the past 32 years, Shenzhen has rapidly developed from a small border town with a population of 30,000 into a new modern metropolis with a thriving economy and a human-friendly environment, where more than 10 million people live today. Shenzhen is an example of global industrialization, modernization, and urbanization.
Representatives from Belgium, Israel, France, Korea, Indonesia, and Austria, with whom Shenzhen has already established sister-city ties, also came to the Internationalization Symposium. Irkutsk became the first Siberian city to sign a memorandum of cooperation with this major Chinese center.
Based on materials from the press service of the administration of the city of Irkutsk