Shanghai seeks cooperation with Mumbai in IT, tourism

IT and tourism are the major areas in which Shanghai can cooperate with its sister city Mumbai and China is keen to jointly hold activities in the two financial capitals to forge a bond between the two countries, officials said.

"Among the areas of co-operation, I think Information Technology and tourism are the major sectors in which we both can work together. And, since they have been declared as sister cities, we will soon plan to do something together to boost the cultural and people-to-people ties between the two countries," Vice-Director, All China Youth Federation (Shanghai), Zhao Guo Qiang told PTI here.

During Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India earlier this year, a bilateral agreement was signed to make the two metropolitan cities, Shanghai and Mumbai, as sister cities.

An agreement was also signed in Gujarat during that time to make Ahmedabad, a sister city of Guangzhou, a leading commercial centre in China.

"Shanghai and Mumbai are similar in many ways. Both are financial and business capitals of their respective country and both are favourites among the tourists. And after becoming sister cities, the ties between the two will only deepen," Zhao said.

He said, besides, business and economic ties, it is the people-to-people and cultural ties through engaging the youth of the two countries, especially of the two mega cities that a "good bond of friendship" can be forged.

Zhao, recently hosted the Indian Youth Delegation to China in Shanghai and said that through such cultural exchange of youth, "the understanding among the youth of their counterpart can be promoted, which translates into better understanding of that country too."

"I only hope that such exchange programmes and making of Shanghai-Mumbai as sister cities would only open up new venues and avenues for bilateral co-operation between the two cities, in particular and the two countries in general," he said.

"Becoming sister cities would mean expediting joint projects between the two sides, and their faster execution," Joint Secretary (Youth Affairs), Ministry of Youth Affairs, Lailt Kumar Gupta, who accompanied the delegation in Shanghai, said.

Gupta also held talks with Zhao here over areas where the two cities could cooperate. 

"Sister city agreements would imply that a joint project on municipal level can be taken up between the corresponding sides without having to go through successive layering of ministerial approvals. The tag allows for executing work at a much faster pace," Gupta said.

"Say, if Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation wants to initiate a project with a municipal body of Guangzhou, they can execute it at their own level only. The same goes for municipal bodies in Shanghai and Mumbai too," he said.

Sister cities tag between towns and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas seek to promote cultural and commercial ties between the two sides.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been championing city-to-city ties between nations, exploring possible areas of mutually beneficial cooperation.

During his recent visit to Japan, Kyoto was paired with Varanasi as sister cities. The two cities have signed an agreement to ensure greater cooperation in the fields of art, culture, conservation and modernisation.

Last year the Manmohan Singh-government had signed an agreement with China to establish sister city relations between Delhi-Beijing, Bengaluru-Chengdu and Kolkata-Kunming to foster people-to-people ties.

"The agreement allows city officials to learn from each other, and civic officials, for instance can look at how China manages its counterpart city or manages and maintains its heritage can then replicate it back home," said Gupta.

Experts in India believe that the sister city agreement should bring in more investment to Mumbai.

Apart from Shanghai, Mumbai has seven other sister cities -- London (the UK), Los Angeles (the US), Berlin (Germany), St Petersburg (Russia), Stuttgart (Germany), Yokohama (Japan) and Busan (South Korea).

During Xi's visit, China also committed USD 20 billion investment over the next five years and agreed to provide greater market access to Indian products in farm, pharma and gems and jewellery sectors, with a view to reducing the large trade gap with India.