A Zhanjiang delegation led by Mayor Wang Zhongbing paid a visit to Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia, from June 24 to 29.
Wang Zhongbing has been mayor of Zhanjiang for five years and he wants to transform the southernmost city of Guangdong into eco-city.
The city of Zhanjiang is looking to revive the glories of days gone by when it was a starting port on the ancient Maritime Silk Road by building a modern-day industry hub with the help of state-of-the-art technologies.
The Zhanjiang Customs District plans to enhance cooperation with its counterparts at Dampier port in Australia and Singapore in a pilot program to build alliances with overseas ports.
Cargo throughput of Zhanjiang port hit a record high of 114.3 million tons in the first half of this year, an increase of 8.2 percent year-on-year, according to Zhanjiang Transportation Bureau on Saturday.
Over the next few years, accelerating the development of new strategic industries and establishing an innovation and technology management system will be the main focuses for the city of Zhanjiang.
Zhanjiang, where the ancient Maritime Silk Road began more than 2,000 years ago, is seeking to join in China's effort to gain UNESCO World Heritage status.
Belarus-born piano teacher Katia Jurova moved to China almost by chance. But nearly five years after she first set foot in Zhanjiang, Jurova said she feels the city in southern China has offered her everything she needs to grow professionally and emotionally.
Cai Pingzhen, general manager of Zhanlu Agriculture Technologies Co, can talk for hours about the huge range of chili peppers that grow at her 200-hectare production base.
With China's seafood industry no longer enjoying a "golden era" amid soaring labor costs and shrinking demand from overseas countries, many seafood producers are keen to upgrade their products, according to industry experts.
Zhanjiang, a city in the southwest of Guangdong province, is an example of China's coastal cities that are becoming increasingly more important in the general economic development of the country.
There are some cities that are better placed than others when it comes to the Belt and Road initiatives. Zhanjiang is one of them. The coastal city has a deep sea port and enjoys proximity to Southeast Asian countries and connectivity to all major ports in the world.
Here we take a look at some of the city's advantageous, local government's plans to boost manufacturing and innovation and boost cultural exchanges.
