New Chinese friends visit Kerry
AN international relationship of mutual benefit in everything from education to economic development grew ever stronger last week as a delegation from the Zheijiang Province in eastern China visited the Kingdom.
It was the third major trip in a partnership that was initiated in 2012 and saw some of the most senior political leaders of the massive province visit Kerry County Council, IT Tralee and Kerry Group’s HQ.
Chairman of the Zheijiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Ms Ge Huijun led the visit, meeting Cathaoirleach of Kerry County Council Norma Foley who welcomed the visitors to Council chambers.
The Chairman and Cathaoirleach exchanged gifts and pledged to further develop links between Kerry and Zheijiang.
Zheijiang Province is home to 65 million people and much like Kerry it is renowned for its tourism sector and its people’s entrepreneurial spirit.
In May 2012, a delegation from Zhejiang visited KCC to explore links with Kerry and also to promote co-operation in the fields of education, tourism, science and technology, culture and economic development.
A return visit was made by representatives of the Council in 2013 and that delegation was led by then County Manager Tom Curran. During that visit, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed, formalising the links between the regions.
Subsequently, the Confucius Institute at University College Cork were contacted regarding a Chinese language and cultural programme for interested schools and Kerry schools were contacted with a view to linking them with schools from the province and building long-term relationships. Six Kerry secondaries participated, with students not only learning Mandarin, but also experiencing a taste of Chinese society and culture.