Mayor hopes to strengthen ties
TOOWOOMBA mayor Paul Antonio hopes the city’s relationship with its new sister city in China will unlock trade and tourism opportunities for the region.
Cr Antonio lead a delegation on Saturday to the Yuecheng business district of Shaoxing, a city of five million people in China’s eastern Zhejiang Province, to formalise ties.
The trip will also include a visit to Japan for the 27th anniversary of the sister city agreement with Takatsuki.
But Cr Antonio said the relationship between Yuecheng and Toowoomba represented a different style of sister city agreement than with previous countries.
“We’re actually meeting with the business community in Shaoxing during our visit,” he said.
“It is an evolution (of the sister city concept) and it’s focusing very strongly on business opportunities, tourism and potentially trade.”
Most exciting for Cr Antonio, Shaoxing is not far from the province capital of Hangzhao, which features an international airport.
“With an airport in Hangzhou, developing a rapport with such a significant area will assist in the continual growth of our region’s international trade industry and greatly benefit our community,” he said.
Aboriginal performance group Winangali Infusion will also travel to Japan with the delegation to work with schools.