Newcastle Municipality hosted delegates from sister city in Nanchang, China on Monday, November 13 at the Mayor’s Parlour.
Mayor, Makhosini Nkosi along with municipal officials welcomed the honoured guests.
In the spirit of igniting the relationship between China and Newcastle, Cllr Nkosi stated that Newcastle had envisioned a relationship with China before the association of emerging national economies known as BRICS.
Zibo City in China was the enabling component of this vision.
“The initial agreement was signed in September 2002 and reaffirmed in November 2004. The aim was to work together to promote youth development programmes. It was agreed the relationship would expand the trade volumes of import and exports to promote development in the respective regions.”
In 2012, the agreement was reinforced by the Newcastle’s of the World alliance, which were inspired by good intentions.
“When we visit places like China and the United Kingdom, our people want to hear that we were able to attract investors. With this engagement we are hoping to see many direct foreign investors in Newcastle.”
Cllr Nkosi also pointed out that South Africa lacked Information Technology and Engineering skills, a trade that is abundant in China.
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Furthermore, he proposed that once a mutually beneficial partnership was achieved, Newcastillians would realise the intentions of those who initiated the relationship.
“I would like to believe that today is the beginning of a new era. We should visit China and other countries with the sole intention to sign agreements and give tangible results in terms of economic development; continuous engagement is encouraged,” concluded Cllr Nkosi.
By way of an interpreter, Yin Meigen, Senior Consultant of Nanchang expressed his gratitude in the hospitality, kindness and compassion shown by Newcastle.
“I am impressed by the friendship between Newcastle and China. I am also pleased to witness the infrastructure and magnitude of this city,” he said.
Meigen continued to produce a brief report on Nanchang and its economic development.
“Nanchang covers 7402 square kilometres and has a population of 5.31 million people.”
He reported that Nanchang’s GDP value for 2016 was estimated around 966 billion, this is apparently close to South Africa’s national budget.
Meigen concluded that he looked forward to working closely with Newcastle and believed great opportunities lay ahead.
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