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Page Last Updated:
Tuesday, 27 October 2009 |
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Home>RETURN VISIT TO CHINA TO STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIP
| 19 October 2009 | | Southern Grampians Shire Council Mayor Cr Marcus Rentsch and Chief Executive Officer Richard Perry are travelling to the City of Gaoyou in the Jiangsu Province, China later this week as part of a return visit to the region, after senior officials from the City visited the Southern Grampians in June this year.
The City of Gaoyou has a population of 800,000 and is located 300km west of Shanghai. A semi industrial city, Gaoyou has a long and ancient history, dating back over 2500 years with the great canals that run through the city making it a major port for domestic and international trade.
Cr Rentsch said that the Mayor of the City of Gaoyou had invited Southern Grampians representatives to travel to China to further develop the relationship between the two municipalities.
“The Hamilton and Alexandra College and the Gaoyou Middle School have established a very strong ongoing relationship since an early Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the two cities in 1999 to establish a Sister Region Relationship.
“Some 600 students from the school have had the opportunity to spend time in China and many local families have had the opportunity to host Gaoyou students on their reciprocal visits.
“We have been invited to meet with senior government officials and various business leaders during the National Postal Cultural Festival, which is a major event in Gaoyou.
“During the visit we will be discussing how we can build on some of the relationships that have been established by our students. We will also be looking at developing cultural and economic relationships between our two regions,” Cr Rentsch said.
Cr Rentsch and Mr Perry will leave for China on 24 October and return on 30 October with a busy schedule planned.
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