ILOILO CITY – The consul general of China based in Cebu urged this city to pursue more sister city linkages.

CONSUL General Zhang Zhen of China speaks in Iloilo City during the Chinese New Year celebration. (Arnold Almacen)
“We all know that during the pandemic years, the exchanges were very low. With everything coming back to normal, I will suggest that both sides make good use of the sister city relationship,” said Consul Zhang Zhen during the Chinese New Year celebration here.
“There’s a (need) to explore more opportunities and possibilities to have tangible win-win cooperation, which can bring more benefits to both sides,” added Zhang.
Iloilo City forged sister cities relationship with Qingdao in 2000, Guangzhou City in Fujian province in 2020, and Wuhan in Hubei province in 2021.
“These big cities have many strong sectors. The potential for the bilateral cooperation for Iloilo City and these cities are huge,” Zhang said.
“Wuhan is a very big city in the middle of China just like Iloilo, in the middle of the Philippines, the heart of the Philippines. Wuhan is also the heart of China,” she added.
Zhang also called for more exchanges in education, agriculture, green energy, sustainable development, and tourism.