East China city twins with Zambian capital

The city of Fuzhou in China's Jiangxi Province on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding with Lusaka, the Zambian capital, for friendly exchange and cooperation.

The signing follows a visit by a delegation from the east Chinese city led by Xiao Yi, Secretary of the Fuzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Xiao signed on behalf of Fuzhou while Lusaka Province Permanent Secretary Charles Sipanje signed on behalf of the Zambian capital during a ceremony.

Outlining the economic potential of Fuzhou, Xiao said the two cities will seek exchange cooperation in the areas of agriculture, industry, culture, among others.

On his part, the Zambian official welcomed the signing of the ceremony, saying it signals the start of the journey for more cooperation.

He said officials from the two cities intend to come up with specific areas of focus where to start the exchange programs.

The signing of the MoU shows the growing relationship between the two countries, which was recently cemented following a visit of ten provincial ministers to various Chinese cities to learn development practices, he added.

According to him, one of the outcomes of the visit was for Zambian provinces to enter into cooperation agreements with various Chinese provinces and cities for exchange programs.

"We are happy that Fuzhou has identified Lusaka as a twinning city. There are a lot of opportunities in Lusaka where Fuzhou can focus on," he said.

Fuzhou, in the east of the Jiangxi Province, is not to be confused with Fuzhou, capital city of Fujian Province, though the two share the same spelling in English. Endit