Pastor Moises Martins

Chinese delegation meets with mayor to discuss partnership

The meeting aimed to assess the progress made with the agreement reached in 2015 and to discuss new paths
Mayor Edivaldo and Deputy Mayor Julio Pinheiro, accompanied by a part of their secretariat, received a delegation from the municipal government of Wuhan, a Chinese city with which the Municipality of São Luís Maintains a bilateral cooperation partnership in the economic and social areas. The meeting aimed to assess the progress made with the agreement reached in 2015 and to discuss new paths. The Chinese delegation was led by the executive vice president of Wuhan Municipal People's Government, Long Zhengcai. The community met with university rectors, representatives of Fiema, industry entrepreneurs, representatives of the Commercial Association of Maranhão and commercial entrepreneurs for a business lunch and finalized the agenda in the capital with a meeting with the vice governor of the state Carlos Brandão.

Long Zhengcai stressed the importance of partnership between co-sister cities. "São Luís has well developed potentialities in several areas, such as the port sector, for example, which encourages us to develop mutual cooperation in this area too. We intend to deepen the bilateral partnerships between our sister cities, to promote our companies, investing and contributing to local development. Over the past 30 years, China has had a very large development in the industrial and commercial areas, but our interest is not only to promote the growth of our country, but also to contribute to Brazil's economic development process, "said Long Zhengcai .

FRUITS
One of the results of the partnership is the arrival of a unit of the Confucius Institute for São Luís, which is already in process. The goal is to develop diverse projects, among them, the teaching of Mandarin (official Chinese language) and other training for young people. The initiative is a partnership, articulated by the São Luís City Hall, between the State Government and the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA).

The Confucius Institute is a non-profit Chinese institution whose purpose is to promote the country's culture by supporting the teaching of the Chinese language around the world as well as spreading Chinese culture and customs around the world. The goal is to provide opportunities for students from the municipal and state network, government officials and technicians from private companies to develop the study of Mandarin, as well as understand important issues of the culture and history of that country.

In addition to the installation of a unit of the Confucius Institute, the municipal secretary of Institutional Relations, Ana Paula Rodrigues, highlighted other important initiatives resulting from the partnership. Among them is the Wuhan Municipal People's Government invitation for students from the São Luis municipal public network to take part in the International Friendship Summer Camp of Wuhan City, which will be held from June 19 to 30 this year.

Currently, China is Brazil's main trading partner. Many products that are exported to China are produced in Maranhão or pass through Maranhão, through the Port of Itaqui.
Source: MA-10