Exchanges and Cooperation

Courageous Opening, Real Opening, Early Opening and Comprehensive Opening

The opening up of Hubei is all dimensional. In 2010, 4,331 delegations from Hubei went aboard on business visits and around 5,000 person-times of 240 delegations including foreign guests, journalists, overseas Chinese and compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao have visited Hubei. By the end of 2010, Hubei has established 67 sister provinces and cities relationship.

Ms. Li Haifeng, Director General of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr. Li Hongzhong, Secretary of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee, and Mr. Wang Guosheng, Governor of Hubei Province, were presented at the 2011 Conference on Overseas Chinese Pioneering and Developing in China.

With the platform of the Conference on Overseas Chinese Pioneering and Developing in China which has been successfully held for 10 years, Hubei has achieved new progress in international exchanges with higher level, greater scale, broader area and better effectiveness.

Exchanges with Hong Kong and Macao

With the opening to the traffic of Wuhan-Guangzhou High Speed Railway, the visits from Hong Kong and Macao are booming. In the year of 2010, more than 20 delegations with over 1,300 persons-times from Hong Kong and Macao have visited Hubei and the mutual understanding has been deepened.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen visited Hubei. In December of 2010, the program of Step into the Modern History: 2010 High Speed Railway Trip to Hubei in the Shuiguohu No. 1 Primary School of Wuhan. In January of 2011, the 10th visit of excellent students from Macao in universities of mainland China to Hubei.

Sister Provinces and Cities

The establishment of international sister provinces and cities began in 1979. By the end of 2010, 67 sister provinces and cities have been established between Hubei province and provinces and cities of 28 countries around the world (18 sister province relationship, 16 sister city relationship with Wuhan city and 33 with other cities). Signing ceremony of the sister province and state relationship between Hubei and the State of Ohio in the East Lake Hotel in 1979, which was the first sister province and state relationship between China and the United States.

Below is part of the list:

Hubei Province ---- Ohio, U.S.A.(Oct 31, 1979)

Hubei Province ---- Alabama, U.S.A. (Oct 7, 1985)

Hubei Province ---- Galati, Romania (May 27, 1987)

Hubei Province ---- South Province, Cameroon (Oct 30, 1993)

Hubei Province ---- Brest, Belanls (Feb 26, 1994)

Hubei Province ----Kiev, Ukraine (March 9, 1994)

Hubei Province ---- Aquitaine, France (May 9, 1996)

Hubei Province ----Saarland, Germany (May 17, 1996)

Hubei Province ---- Chuskaya, Kirghizstan (Jan 23, 1997)

Hubei Province ---- Lorraine, France (Feb 4, 1998)

Hubei Province ---- Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (Dec 6, 2001)