Mayor Tang meets Germany's Friedrich Ebert Foundation delegation

Tang Feifan, mayor of Ningbo, meets with a delegation from Germany's Friedrich Ebert Foundation, headed by its president Martin Schulz, on Feb 4. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

Tang Feifan, mayor of Ningbo, met with a delegation from Germany's Friedrich Ebert Foundation, headed by its president Martin Schulz, on Feb 4.

During the meeting, Tang underscored the longstanding history of exchange and cooperation between Ningbo and Germany, highlighting the significant achievements in sister city relations, economic and trade cooperation, and cultural exchanges between the two regions.

Tang pointed out the vast potential for further bilateral cooperation, considering Ningbo's status as a globally important port city, a major manufacturing hub, and a key player in foreign trade. He expressed his hope that Schulz and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation would continue to support and facilitate deeper exchange and cooperation between Germany and Ningbo, particularly in the areas of new energy vehicles, high-end equipment, and green petrochemicals, with the aim of elevating the scale and level of economic and trade cooperation.

Additionally, he urged active assistance in promoting cooperation in science and technology education, facilitating the exchange of technological achievements, and further building platforms for cultural exchanges and think tank interactions to achieve mutual complementarity and common development.

Schulz, also the former president of the European Parliament, expressed gratitude for the warm reception of the delegation by Ningbo just before the Chinese New Year. He recalled the establishment of the sister city relationship between Ningbo and Aachen, Germany in 1986, noting his presence at the signing ceremony and his continuous attention to Ningbo's development since then.

Schulz praised Ningbo's significant progress over the past 30 years, particularly in terms of economic strength. He expressed his hope that the Friedrich Ebert Foundation will play a pivotal role as a bridge, continuously advancing exchanges and cooperation between China and Germany in the fields of sister cities, culture, science, technology, and education.