By Rachel Magday
NUEVA VIZCAYA, Philippines -‘ Nueva Vizcaya officials and the Chinese Consulate in Laoag have discussed a possible sisterhood agreement with a province in China, along with potential cooperation in agriculture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
The proposals were raised during a courtesy call by Li Xiaoyan, consul and head of the Chinese Consulate in Laoag, on Gov. Atty. Jose V. Gambito at the provincial capitol on Monday,April 27.
Vice Gov. Eufemia Ang Dacayo, members of the provincial board and provincial department heads also attended the meeting, which focused on possible Chinese assistance for Nueva Vizcaya’s agriculture and tourism sector.
Areas of cooperation discussed included the sharing of best practices, provision of farm machinery and technical assistance to help local farmers adapt to emerging agricultural technologies and trends.
Li said the discussions could help strengthen relations between Nueva Vizcaya and China, particularly through exchanges in culture, development and local governance.
“I hope we can deepen our understanding and friendship, and we can explore many more collaborations like people-to-people exchange,” Li said.
Li also praised Nueva Vizcaya, describing the province as beautiful, and invited its residents to visit China to observe development projects. She said the consulate could extend assistance to those applying for Chinese visas.
Gambito welcomed the proposed cooperation, saying outside support would help the province pursue development programs, particularly in agriculture and tourism.
“Nueva Vizcaya is not one of the richest provinces in the region, so we welcome any outside assistance that can help our people,” the governor said.
Gambito also thanked Li for visiting the province, noting that she was the first Chinese official to pay a courtesy call on the provincial government of Nueva Vizcaya.
He said the provincial government hoped the prospective partnership would provide technical support, resources and possible funding assistance for priority projects.
The visit ended with an exchange of tokens of gratitude between Gambito and Li, symbolizing the two sides’ interest in pursuing further cooperation.
Gov. Gambito said the proposed sisterhood agreement and areas of cooperation would still be subject to further discussions and coordination between the provincial government and the Chinese Consulate.
