The cities of Ekurhuleni and Harbin in China have agreed to work together in uplifting their socio-economic profiles.<\/p>\n
The two cities, who already have a memorandum of understanding (MoU), met at the Germiston headquarters of the metro, recently, where they agreed that the time for action on their long-standing agreement was now.<\/p>
This part of the plan will be realised on the back of a working programme, which is in the process of being developed.<\/p>\n
Both have agreed to cooperate in the following fields: education, tourism, investment, urban management and city planning and culture.<\/p>
\u201cOur city is on the verge of rolling out a spatial framework that will make us compatible and liveable with easy access to work opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cRealising this MoU could, therefore, not have come at a better time,\u201d said MMC for Sport, Heritage, Recreation, Arts and Culture Clr Dora Mlambo.<\/p>\n
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ALSO READ:<\/span><\/p>\n Ekurhuleni\u2019s city manager targeted by scammers<\/a><\/p>\n Make sure you take your medicine as prescribed<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe are also eagerly looking forward to working with Harbin in the education space so that we can develop an exchange programme that will allow both cities to benchmark against each other and share best practice.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re also extremely keen to learn how to use tourism and culture for effective social cohesion and to create wealth.\u201d<\/p>\n In response, leader of the Harbin delegation, Jiang Gouwen, lamented the time already wasted to realise the 2004 MoU, but committed to changing the status quo.<\/p>\n He gave an undertaking that the City of Harbin will be revisiting all the focus areas of the agreement and would urgently revert back with ways to actualise them, adding that Ekurhuleni was his city\u2019s leading sister city in Africa and that China\u2019s Consular General fully supports the relationship.<\/p>\n Gouwen extended an invitation to Ekurhuleni to the Ice Festival in 2019, a platform which will be used to celebrate Harbin\u2019s first international twinning.<\/p>\n The event will also be used to discuss ways of making Harbin\u2019s sisterhoods work better.<\/p>\n \u201cThis friendship (Ekurhuleni\/Harbin) needs a stronger bond, hence the need for visitations.<\/p>\n \u201cIf relatives do not visit each other, they become strangers,\u201d said Gouwen.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hav<\/strong>e a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)\u00a0<\/span>germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za\u00a0<\/a><\/strong>or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor)\u00a0<\/span>leighh@caxton.co.za<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>or Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist)\u00a0kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Remember to visit the Germiston City News on the following social media platforms:<\/p>\n Facebook<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Twitter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n YouTube<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Or add the GCN on\u00a0<\/b><\/span>WhatsApp 079 406 1181<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>or\u00a0BBM (BBM Pin: 7F102137)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/b><\/span>today, to get all the latest news.<\/p>\n Catch-up on more local news with our sister newspapers\u00a0<\/span>Bedfordview Edenvale News<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>Alberton Record<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Kempton Express<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n