Changchun establishes friendship with Northern Ireland

A Friendship City Agreement was signed between Changchun, capital city of Jilin province and Newry, the fourth largest city in Northern Ireland, on Oct 11.

The Northern Irish delegation, led by Mark Murnin, mayor of Newry, travelled to Changchun on Oct 11 for a three-day visit, and was welcomed by Wang Junzheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee of Jilin province.

According to Wang, Changchun has a lot to learn from Newry's experiences since they share certain similarities in many aspects, including climates, industrial structure and regional advantages. Therefore fruitful results are expected to come from their friendship in the future.

An economic and trade forum was also held in Changchun between the delegation and officials of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIC) on Oct 12. Officials discussed prospects for corporations in the education industry, import and export trade and tourism industry between Changchun and Newry.

Xu Haiwu, director of the CCPIC attended the forum and delivered a speech. He appealed for more two-way communications between the pair so as to produce a greater level of understanding towards each other and achieve mutual development.

Newry, a city known as the "Gap of the North" in southeastern Northern Ireland, has a reputation for its animal husbandry, aerospace manufacturing industry and its financial industry. It has started to work with Changchun since a friendship memorandum was signed between the two in 2017.