Friendly ties made with Canadian town

Futian district of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, signed an agreement to establish a friendly exchange relationship with Oakville, a suburban town in Ontario, Canada, on May 15, the district's foreign affairs office said.

Oakville is the fifth urban area that Futian has entered into friendly relations with in recent years, following ties with Liyama in Japan, Issy-les-Moulineaux in France, Togliatti in Russia and Gangnam district in Seoul, South Korea. Futian has the most international friendly relationship agreements among all of Shenzhen's districts and areas, the officials said.

In July 2016, the Futian government invited Victor Oh, a Canadian senator of Chinese descent, and Rob H. Burton, mayor of Oakville, to visit the district to discuss cooperation between the two areas. The proposal to forge a friendly relationship was also brought up and discussed.

The visit officially paved the way for cooperation between Futian's government and its counterpart in Oakville and laid a foundation for the signing of the agreement.

With the consensus established during the first meeting, He Jie, deputy head of the Futian government, led a delegation to Oakville in April and officially signed the agreement, bringing the friendship between the two areas to a new level.

Located in southern Ontario, Oakville's main industries include automobiles, electrical equipment and oil refining. Both Ford and Siemens have regional headquarters there.

Accommodating the Shenzhen city government and Shenzhen's central business district, Futian is home to many industries, including finance, high-end services, high technology and culture.

As two powerful engines for the development of their cities and provinces, Futian and Oakville share many mutually beneficial features.

In 2016, the total value of Futian's imports and exports reached $118.6 billion, of which $104 million in exports and $120 million in imports came from its trade with Canada. The prospects of cooperation between Futian and Oakville are broad and promising, Futian officials said.

Shenzhen Daily provided the story.

(HK Edition 06/09/2017 page1)