Richard Daley, former mayor of Chicago, visited Wuhan province on April 6-9, which is two months after Li Hongzhong, secretary of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the CPC, visited Chicago in February.

As special advisor for the Wuhan Municipal Government, Daley was interviewed on April 7 and said that high-tech and educational resources would play a significant role in provincial development.

Wang Guosheng, governor of Hubei, gave a speech to introduce Daley. He said that Chicago and Wuhan hold much in common, such as plenty of lake resources and a large workforce.

Chicago and Wuhan have become sister cities to bring huge benefits for both. "It's an unprecedented opportunity" Wang said.

Daley spoke to the China Daily before his introduction ceremony and explained that most investors paid attention to high-tech and educational resources in Wuhan when they opened factories here.

Daley said, "high-tech and a high-qualified workforce would become two unparalleled advantages for Wuhan's development."

He also mentioned that the central provinces such as Hubei should accelerate the construction of its transportation infrastructure. "The cost of transportation is one of the most crucial factors in the eyes of investors", he said.

A convenient transportation system could reduce business costs. Wuhan should focus on airport construction and railway construction," he said.

"Wuhan is a city with hundreds of lakes which impressed me deeply," Daley said. He explained that to protect Chicago lakes, the local government implemented regulations to prohibit building any private dwellings along the lake area. "Apart from that, we also carried out some special projects to preserve our lakes," he added.

"As the special advisor of Wuhan, I promise that I will perform with my passion, energy and vision just like when I was the mayor of Chicago," Daley said.