Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
The Honduran city of San Pedro Sula is set to become a sister city with China’s Changsha and will become the first city in the country to twin with a Chinese city. This agreement marks the first anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Honduras, which switched allegiances and stopped diplomatically recognizing Taiwan in March 2023.
The Municipal Corporation approved a motion to authorize the mayor, Roberto Contreras, to sign a letter of intent with Changsha, paving the way for closer collaboration between both cities. Municipal historian, Eliseo Fajardo, highlighted the initiative, pointing out that San Pedro Sula has already established several such agreements with cities in other countries, but never before with China.
The visit of the Chinese ambassador Yu Bo to San Pedro Sula in October 2023, triggered interest in this partnership, which led mayor Contreras to present the motion before the Municipal Corporation. Contreras emphasized the importance of promoting tourism, culture and other aspects of municipal development, and considered the partnership as a platform to achieve such objectives.
The Chinese Embassy requested the cooperation of the Honduran government to promote this twinning between Changsha and San Pedro Sula. The letter of intent establishes that the sister city partnership will be based on equality and mutual benefit, promoting exchanges in various areas such as education, health, trade, culture, tourism and exchange of professionals.
Both sides agree to send delegations at appropriate times and maintain regular contact between municipal leaders and relevant departments to facilitate bilateral cooperation. This agreement represents a significant step towards consolidating relations between China and Honduras at the local level, fostering friendship and collaboration between both nations.
The activities planned to commemorate the first anniversary include the signing of a letter of intent, followed by formal acts, such as the projection of the logos of both cities on emblematic buildings. In addition, promotional videos from both cities will be shown, moderated by Chinese authorities.
Main source:
SPS, la primera en hermanarse con una ciudad de China / La Prensa, noticias (2024, marzo 11).
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