Durban — The eThekwini Municipality has strengthened its international ties, relations, trade and tourism by signing the Friendly Exchange City Relationship Agreement with China’s Ningde Municipal People’s Government. The agreement was signed on Friday.
Mayor Cyril Xaba said the engagement marked the beginning of a lasting and fruitful friendship between the two cities. He said that Ningde shared the same values as eThekwini in terms of innovation, resilience, and love for culture.
“We embark on a journey of co-operation that will see our cities working together in areas such as trade, investment in green energy, tourism, education, and environmental sustainability. We are excited about the possibilities this partnership holds, and we are committed to ensuring it will bring tangible benefits to both Durban and Ningde,” added Xaba.
Speaking on behalf of the Ningde delegation, Mao Zuosong said that Durban was the largest city in the KwaZulu-Natal and one of the major port cities on the continent.
“Like Durban, Ningde is also a dynamic city with the world's largest research and production base for lithium batteries and stainless-steel new materials. We hope to use these endowments for the benefit of both cities,” he said.
Zuosong said a technical team was firming up areas of co-operation which will be formalised later this year.
This agreement comes less than a month after the city launched Ogihara South Africa, which involved a partnership between international automotive company Ogihara, and Toyota South Africa to boost the eThekwini economy.
During the launch, Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC, the Reverend Musa Zondi, said that by 2035, the goal is to double employment, raising it from 110 000 to around 224 000 jobs within the automotive industry.
In July, the city held the Resurgence Conference, which reportedly generated R82 million directly into the City’s economy, with a contribution of R203m to the City’s gross domestic product. The conference aimed to celebrate and strengthen the bonds between black businesses in South Africa and the US.
In May, Durban hosted Africa’s Travel Indaba with the specific objective of creating market access to a vast array of African leisure tourism products, and further strengthening ties within the African continent.
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