[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongwook Park] Andong City, Gyeongbuk Province, announced on the 1st that Mayor Kwon Young-se signed a sister city agreement with Xi'an City, China, on the 30th.
The agreement includes various exchange and cooperation initiatives in fields such as economic trade, science and technology, cultural tourism, education, administration, health and environment, and sports. Due to the COVID-19 situation, the agreement was signed separately by Mayor Kwon Young-se of Andong and Mayor Li Mingyu of Xi'an, and the documents were exchanged remotely.
Andong City has been conducting exchanges with Xi'an City since signing a cultural exchange agreement in 2010, including festivals and international events, dispatching performance groups, and participating in marathons. This agreement was approved by the Andong City Council in 2019 and by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2020.
With this agreement, Andong and Xi'an have agreed to actively promote their sister cities to their citizens and to pursue various exchanges such as youth homestays, public official training, marathon team dispatches, and sister school agreements after the end of COVID-19.
In a letter sent to Mayor Kwon Young-se, Mayor Li Mingyu of Xi'an stated, "Although COVID-19 has prevented our travel and face-to-face exchanges, it cannot stop our willingness and actions to move forward together," and added, "I look forward to opening a new chapter of innovative exchanges through deeper cooperation via the sister city relationship."
Meanwhile, Xi'an City (西安市), with a population of 10.2 million, is the capital of Shaanxi Province (陝西省) in China. Known by its ancient name 'Chang'an,' it was the capital of 13 dynasties including the Tang and Han dynasties in ancient China.
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