Interview: Perth's sister city relationships with Chinese cities "extremely important": mayor

The Australian city of Perth is almost 8,000 km from China, but its relationship with China is closer than that distance suggests.

Often referred to as Australia's western gateway, Perth also shares a time zone with China, one of its biggest trade and economic partners.

Perth established sister city relationships with Chinese cities Nanjing in 1998, and Chengdu in 2012.

In an interview with Xinhua, Lord Mayor of Perth Lisa Scaffidi described the relationship between the cities as "extremely important."

"These are some our most active and well-respected partnerships and we are excited to continue deepening and growing them," Scaffidi said.

"China is Australia's largest trading partner, and Western Australia's largest export market."

Scaffidi said Chinese investment in Western Australia has supported substantial mining exploration and infrastructure projects and had a significant impact on the city's export capabilities.

"Western Australia acknowledges the critical role that China plays in our state's development, trade and prosperity," she said.

"With the China, Australia Free Trade Agreement, the possibilities for future collaboration are endless, especially in agriculture, information technology, tourism and mining equipment and technology services (METS)."

Scaffidi noted that as the West Australian economy diversified, the city was also hoping to seek opportunities for collaboration in innovation and the start-up sector.

The city is also popular with Chinese tourists.

"We have excellent infrastructure, clean air, rivers and oceans, and internationally recognized natural beauty," she said.

"We have pristine beaches, can see the stars at night and are only hours away from majestic rainforests or desert beauty."

She said Chinese tourists love Perth and its way of life.

"All of the marketing promotion in the world can't compare with personal referrals."

She noted the Picture Yourself in Perth photo competition as one of the most successful programs between its sister cities in China.

"Through a photography competition, the city sponsors five student winners per year from each city to come to Perth for a two-week cultural exchange," she said.

"This is a great program that fosters cultural understanding and educational exchange."

According to the 2011 census, there were nearly 17,000 people from China living in Western Australia and over 75,000 people of Chinese ancestry living in the state.

Scaffidi described the Chinese community in Western Australia as "extremely dynamic."

For the past 10 years, The Economist has ranked Perth among the top 10 of the world's most liveable cities.

The Mercer Quality of Life Survey also ranked Perth in the top 10 percent of world cities and in 2014, BBC Travel rated Perth one of the top five healthiest cities worldwide, Scaffidi noted. Endit