Cebu and Fujian, China Set to Ink Sisterhood Agreement This Year

Officials of Fujian, China and the Cebu Provincial Government meet at the Capitol to discuss the MOA signing set on September this year. Both parties are represented by: (L-R) James Jiang, Jin Teng Xu, Floreza Alpuerto, Atty. Mark C. Tolentino, Chen Chuxin, Rodrigo Lachica Jr., Zheng Zhi Liang and Cai Wenzhi.

Even months before the official signing of the memorandum that seals the sisterhood agreement between the provinces of Cebu and Fujian, China, several programs are already in line paving the strong relationship between both provinces.

In September this year, Cebu Governor Hilario P. Davide III is set to fly to Fujian, China for the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement.

This was finalized during a meeting at the Capitol last March 7 between officials of Cebu and Fujian. Capitol was represented by Provincial Administrator Mark Tolentino; Rodrigo Lachica Jr., consultant for International Relations; and Floreza Alpuerto, OIC of the Cebu Investment Promotions Office.

Fujian officials present were Chen Chuxin, vice president for the Fujian People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; Cai Wenzhi, deputy director for the International Exchanges Division of the Foreign Affairs Office; James Jiang of International Exchange Division of Fujian’s Foreign Affairs Office; Zheng Zhi Liang, deputy director for the Quanzhou Municipal Foreign Affairs & Overseas Chinese Affairs Office; and Jin Teng Xu, associate consultant for the Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Putian Municipal Government.

The MOA signing will be in time for the China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) on Sept. 8-11, 2018 in Xiamen, China. CIFIT is China’s only international investment promotion event aimed at facilitating bilateral investment.

Further, with the expected signing of the sisterhood agreement, the Province of Fujian is offering three cultural-exchange opportunities, including the Fujian ASEAN government officials/International Friendship State and Province Liaison Officers Seminar. The Cebu Provincial Government is invited to send two representatives to attend the seminar for 15 days, in April or May 2018 in Fujian. The seminar will include site visits to inland and coastal areas of the province, as well as lectures on Fujian culture.

The Fujian government is also opening the Fujian Provincial People’s Government Scholarship Program to students from the Province of Cebu to study in institutions of higher education in Fujian.

Students below 45-years-old who would like to pursue graduate or post-graduate studies will be offered Chinese language and culture classes and opportunities to deeply understand the economic and social development of Fujian.

The study period is from September 2018 to July 2019. The tuition and accommodation expenses, as well as comprehensive medical insurance and allowances are covered by the Fujian Provincial People’s Government Scholarship. The airfare, meals, and utility bills will be shouldered by the sending organization.

For June or July, Fujian is also proposing a two-way cultural exchange for the youth from different sectors, including the media from Cebu and Fujian.

Meanwhile, the MOA signing this September includes a visit to the cities of Quanzhou, Putian, and Zhangzhou, who seeks to also forge sister-city agreements with the cities of Danao, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu. (Ainjeliz dela Torre-Orong)

www.cebu.gov.ph