S. African mayor hails partnership with Chinese city

Grain is loaded aboard ships for export in Durban, Africa's busiest port, in this May 2004 file picture. [Photo/Agencies]

JOHANNESBURG - The Mayor of South Africa's Durban City said on Monday the infrastructure has been improved by twinning with the Chinese City of Guangzhou.

James Nxumalo told Xinhua that the partnership between Durban and Guangzhou, two coastal cities, is strategic since both sides have benefited in various ways.

Nxumalo said, "We have identified areas of cooperation in the fields of economic development, creating jobs, sharing expertise, information and knowledge. The sister-city partnership has yielded results in the past 10 years and we are positive it will continue to do so."

Durban has just concluded the construction of the R816 million(54.4 million U.S. dollars) improvement project on Umngeni interchange which was inspired by the friendship with the Chinese city.

"In infrastructure we have learnt a lot from China which has been in this industry for over 30 years. The construction of Umngeni flyovers was learnt from China," Nxumalo said.

The mayor said the city has been sending students on exchange programs to China so that young people have benefited from the friendship.

"We have been sending a lot of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for business fairs as you know China is reputable for developing this industry," the mayor said.

He also stated that the two cities have been sharing knowledge on culture, sports and information and communication technology.

Durban is Africa's most active general cargo port which receives about 4,500 vessels annually and about 8,3000 containers per month.