The Diplomat
The mayors of Salamanca, Carlos García Carbayo, and Hefei (China), Luo Yunfeng, signed in the middle of this month a letter of intent of friendship with the aim of cooperating on sustainable policies and to promote ways of collaboration between companies in both cities. The first major step of this agreement will be the simultaneous organization, in 2023, of the first European Union-China Sustainable Finance Forum.
As reported by the City Council and the Spain-China Council Foundation, the signing took place at the headquarters of the European Commission in Madrid, with the telematic participation of the mayor of Hefei, and the ambassadors of Spain in China and China in Spain, Rafael Dezcallar and Wu Haitao, respectively. Also present in the room were businessmen from the two countries, the Councilor for Tourism, Fernando Castaño, and Augusto Soto, president of the event’s promoter, EU China Trust.
Hefei, with 7.4 million inhabitants, is the capital of the province of Anhui, in the east of the People’s Republic of China. The city has seven universities and is an important industrial center in the machinery, chemical, steel, textile and cigarette manufacturing sectors.
During his speech, the mayor of Salamanca highlighted the “spectacular economic growth” experienced by Hefei and expressed his satisfaction that, thanks to this agreement, this Chinese city will become “a preferential partner for Salamanca when it comes to addressing the sustainable future on which our cities have been working”. “We are eager to make this collaboration effective, as our companies are eager to find allies among theirs to work with,” continued García Carbayo.
According to the mayor of Salamanca, the teams of the two municipalities have already laid the foundations of what could be “a path full of opportunities for both parties”, which will materialize in the official institutional relations between Hefei and Salamanca. This beginning of relations will have its first effect in 2023, when Salamanca and Hefei will simultaneously hold the first European Union-China Sustainable Finance Forum, García Carbayo specified.
