On Thursday the mayors of Athens and Shanghai signed an agreement for the twinning of the two cities signaling closer cooperation.
The two cities have already signed four Memoranda of Cooperation (in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2017). With the twinning of Athens and Shanghai, this cooperation is expected to develop further and cover a wide range of issues of common interest, in areas such as tourism, culture, sports, entrepreneurship and innovation, education, urban regeneration, climate crisis, resilience and sustainability.
“Shanghai and Athens, China and Greece, are two regions with an important geostrategic character. We are convinced that, remaining dedicated to international cooperation, the only thing that separates us is the physical distance. We aspire, with our joint actions, to overcome this obstacle,” said the mayor of Athens Haris Doukas.
“The two cities are connected by a centuries-old cultural tradition, close commercial, economic and business relations, which create a solid foundation for the development and prosperity of our wider regions. Our common goal is to strengthen our ties. We invite our Chinese friends to visit Greece and experience the unique Athenian experience. To get to know at close hand the monuments of world cultural heritage, but also modern Greek cultural creation, which builds bridges between our peoples,” he added.
Promoting cooperation between Shanghai and Athens
On his part, the mayor of Shanghai Gong Zheng said: “Since the establishment of relations of friendly exchanges between Shanghai and Athens in 2009, there has been extensive and pragmatic cooperation in many fields and it has achieved good results.
“Taking the twinning of our two cities as a new starting point, we are willing to further deepen the exchanges and interactions between our two localities, achieve an even higher level of mutual benefit and win-win results, to pursue greater prosperity for the peoples of our two lands, and finally, to jointly promote friendly exchanges and cooperation between Shanghai and Athens to a new level.”
Shanghai is home to the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE), one of the largest stock exchanges globally by market capitalization, making it a key player in global finance.
The Chinese city is a leading center for trade, with an economy driven by manufacturing, finance, technology and real estate. It is the world’s busiest container port, facilitating trade across Asia and globally. It attracts numerous multinational corporations and is a gateway for foreign direct investment (FDI) into China.
It is rapidly becoming a hub for technology, housing startups, innovation parks and global tech firms.
Shanghai is known for its unique fusion of traditional Chinese culture and Western influences, evident in its food, architecture, and lifestyle.
Related: Air China Launches Direct Shanghai-Athens Flight
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