Lucea to be twinned with Chinese city

WESTERN BUREAU:

Lucea, the capital of Hanover, is poised to be twinned with the Chinese city of Huangshi. Based on discussions between officials of the two municipalities, the final arrangements should be in place shortly.

"The dialogue is ongoing, and there are benefits to be derived both ways," said David Gardner, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC).

Based on what has been agreed so far, economic, social and cultural are among the benefits expected to be realised by both municipalities, which should have far-reaching implications for the two sides.

According to Gardner, the representatives of Huangshi city who are participating in the discussions have indicated a very deep interest in having the initiative of the twinning of both cities off the ground as early as possible.

Huangshi is the second-largest city in the Hubei province in China. It is located on the southern bank of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, covering an area of 4,600 square kilometres. The city, which has a population of approximately 2.7 million people, is renowned for its bronze culture and has a strong foundation of industry, including such fields as mining, metallurgy, building materials, energy, textile, clothing, machinery, light industry, foodstuff, chemistry, and electronics.

Greater exposure

"The fact is that China is a developed country, and I have had the opportunity of going there myself, so I have seen what they can do, and we would have seen it from the kind of highway construction that we are having in Jamaica," said Gardner. "We know as well that these persons have a business side to them. We believe that from the point of view of technology, we would stand to benefit a whole lot. At the same time, it will mean greater exposure for our parish, our country, and our own people."

Sports, in which Hanover has excelled, is one of the areas in which Gardner is hoping to see some level of collaboration. He believes that the teaching of English and tourism are also areas that could be exploited.

The town of Lucea, which has a population of approximately 6,000 people, according to a 2012 census, is considered ripe for investment and development.