Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard joined Xiangyang, Hubei Mayor Taihui Wang in China on Tuesday to ratify the Sister City agreement that was established in 2012.
Both mayors signed the agreement in both English and Chinese that calls for a formal relationship to promote mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and American people.
“I was very pleased to sign this agreement today to ratify the cultural exchanges that have already begun and will hopefully continue in the future,” Mayor Brainard said. “Despite the challenges of the global relationship between the U.S. and Chinese leaders, it is important that our people continue to build positive relationships under the Sister Cities agreement that will benefit both cities.”
Carmel and Xiangyang agree to make a concerted effort, on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, to promote people-to-people friendly contacts and economic and trade interflow between them and actively carry out exchanges and cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, science, and technology. In addition, exchanges may also include culture, sports, health, education, and personnel.
Mayor Brainard was in Wuhan this week to attend a gathering of mayors from the U.S. and Hubei, which provided the opportunity to hold the formal signing ceremony 11 years after the relationship with Xiangyang was established in Carmel. It was June 29, 2012, when then Deputy Mayor Ding Yalin and one of her delegates, Tan Yao, then the Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs, joined Mayor Brainard to begin the partnership.
A 13-member delegation of mayors from the heartland states of the United States made the visit at the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
The delegation engaged in discussions with officials from eight Hubei cities on topics such as green development and friendly cooperation. They also held a roundtable meeting on Tuesday afternoon, focusing on environmental cooperation and the promotion of China-U.S. friendship.
Wu Haitao, the vice governor of Hubei, highlighted the achievements in economic and trade cooperation, educational collaboration and people-to-people exchanges between Hubei and friendly U.S. states. Wu expressed the hope for further deepening of cooperation between Hubei and the U.S. heartland states and cities in the fields of environmental protection, public health and cultural education.