13 February 2007
The Mayor of Eastbourne, Councillor Colin Belsey, has accepted an invitation from Mr Lin Guoqiang, Mayor of Nanning, in the People’s Republic of China to visit the city, which is the capital city of Guangxi, for seven days in March 2007.
The Mayor of Eastbourne, Councillor Colin Belsey, says, “I very much welcome the opportunity in developing the relationship between China and the United Kingdom, especially in the fields of culture and education exchanges, as well as business and tourism.”
Nanning is an ancient city in China's 'remote' southwest with an urban population of 6.5 million people, and has a vibrant mix of traditional and modern architecture in a region which is now poising itself to become the transport hub of southern China and Indochina as combined road, rail, air, river and port improvements reach completion in the project called 'the Large Channel to the Sea'. A region which has known conflict and controversy, Guangxi is now striving to make the best of its geographical and cultural diversity, and to form part of a wider economic community embracing nearby Chinese provinces as well as the adjacent nations of Southeast Asia.
The Mayor is part of a five man cultural delegation visiting Nanning and will be funding the visit himself.
