The delegation from Villena, led by its mayor, Fulgencio Cerdán, and Tourism Councilor Paula García, was officially received in Guilin by Mayor Lu Xinhua. The Chinese city organized the delegation's participation in a tourism fair and covered the travel expenses, marking the beginning of the future twinning.
During the reception, Chinese authorities including Jiao Yahui, Zhang Jianping, Zhang Jie, Guo Zhonghi, Liu Xiang, and Li Jianhua expressed their interest in establishing collaboration agreements. These include economic promotion, industrial development, tourism cooperation, and youth training through joint student exchange programs.
Fulgencio Cerdán thanked the expressed interest and the offered collaboration avenues, highlighting Villena's commitment to seeking new international opportunities. The mayor emphasized that the city "never stands still, always looks to the future, makes brave bets, and tries to chart its own destiny".
The Villena government's intention is to establish direct dialogue with Chinese officials to facilitate the sale of local products in China, attract Chinese investment to Villena, and boost tourism. Twinning is considered the key mechanism to foster this continuous exchange and mutual collaboration.
For his part, Guilin Mayor Lu Xinhua highlighted Villena's "strong industrial base" as a key factor for establishing alliances. He recalled that the common points between both cities facilitate the deepening of exchanges and noted that Villena is the first city in the Valencian Community to obtain the China Friendship certification.
Guilin's proposal focuses on three strategic axes: first, cultural and tourism cooperation, strengthening the exchange of experiences, mutual promotion of resources, and development of the cultural-tourism industry. Second, economic and commercial cooperation, establishing permanent platforms for governments and businesses. Third, people-to-people exchanges, leveraging the role of universities and reinforcing collaboration in youth, culture, and education.
