Madrid Symposium Promotes China-Spain Local Government Cooperation

With the concerted efforts of the CPAFFC and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (SFMP), the China-Spain Local Government Cooperation Symposium was held in Madrid on March 24, 2010.

The participants were mayors and government officials of small and medium-sized cities of the two countries. A 32-member Chinese delegation of local government officials headed by CPAFFC Vice President Li Jianping also participated. The symposium was the continuance and expansion of the meeting of CSF’s Committee of Regions and Cities, aiming at building a platform for local governments of the two countries to conduct exchanges in specific fields.

This was an outgrowth of discussions at the Fifth Meeting of the China-Spain Forum (CSF) in April 2009, when Chinese and Spanish members of the Committee of Regions and Cities agreed on the need to explore new ways to cooperate in such areas as building of a harmonious society, urban ecological environment, urban planning and construction, and protection and development of historical and cultural heritages. It was decided that a special meeting of the Committee of Regions and Cities would be held to promote this idea.

Javier Leon de la Riva, President of the International Relations Commission of the SFMP and Mayor of Valladolid, in northeastern Spain, in presiding over the meeting said local governments of the two countries should carry out substantial exchanges in such areas as resisting economic crisis, countering climate change, enhancing cultural awareness of the two peoples and improving urban services.

Li Jianping said cooperation between local governments was an important part of the China-Spain comprehensive strategic partnership. He stressed the need to strengthen cooperation and exchanges in areas of common concern. The CPAFFC stood ready to make concerted efforts along with the SFMP to set up a stable and efficient cooperation mechanism for this purpose.

Two topics were discussed at the symposium: first, environmental protection in the urban development process; second, cooperation between the local governments of the two countries under the new international situation. During the discussions on the first topic, the participants explored such issues as making a scientific urban development plan, promoting urban industrial restructuring, accelerating the construction of urban environmental facilities and urban environment supervision and control, transforming economic development pattern, energy conservation, emission reduction and development of a circular economy. Delegates from the Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province, Liupanshui City of Guizhou Province, Lichuan City of Hubei Province and Qingyang City of Gansu Province of China and the Spanish cities of Pamplona, Fuenlabrada and Coca, spoke on these issues. Everyone present agreed the local governments of the two countries should make joint efforts to promote sustainable development of cities and conduct cooperation in specific areas such as developing and utilizing clean energy and cutting urban greenhouse gas emissions.

In the discussions on the second topic, delegates from Neijiang City of Sichuan Province, Enshi City of Hubei Province and Suihua City of Heilongjiang Province and the Spanish delegates from Valladolid, Riudecanyes and Malaga addressed the issues relating to strengthening cooperation in jointly resisting a global economic crisis, boosting cultural and economic exchanges and cooperation, integrating tourism resources to develop tourism in the two countries, and establishing friendship-city ties. They unanimously held that the local governments of the two countries should increase exchanges in the social, economic and cultural fields and in city management, promote business contacts between the entrepreneurs of the two countries and encourage them to take part in the economic cooperation projects at the state, provincial and city levels.

Through active exchanges at and after the symposium, Neijiang and Malaga signed a letter of intent on establishing friendship-city ties, and Enshi City and Extremadura Autonomous Community reached a preliminary agreement on exchanges and cooperation.

During the break and after the symposium, the Chinese and Spanish delegates exchanged information about the advantages and features of their own cities and discussed on a one-to-one basis details of bilateral cooperation, laying a good foundation for future exchanges and the twinning of friendship cities. Some cities reached agreement on cooperation in import of consigned goods, application of solar energy technology, and exchange of experiences in tourism management.