On June 25 - 26, 2019, a representative delegation of the Sichuan province (China) visited St. Petersburg. The delegation was led by the Deputy Secretary General of the Party Committee of the Chinese Communist Party of Sichuan, Deng Xiaogang. The delegation included representatives of major industrial and investment holdings interested in developing contacts with St. Petersburg.
On June 25, in the Smolny, the delegation met the Acting Governor of St. Petersburg, Alexander Beglov (for more details, see the article “Chinese investors are expected in St. Petersburg”: https://www.gov.spb.ru/press/governor/168072/).
During the meeting, Alexander Beglov noted the good pace in the interaction between the regions. Since 2017, when a bilateral cooperation agreement was signed, a lot has already been done. In particular, the intensification of contacts was influenced by the opening of direct flights in January 2018 and a flight between St. Petersburg and Chengdu (the capital of Sichuan province) via Taiyuan as an option for the route in the winter season.
Alexander Beglov also noted the links between St. Petersburg and the Sichuan province in the field of healthcare and higher education. The head of the city proposed to Chinese investors to join in the development of hotel infrastructure, noting the high tourist attractiveness of St. Petersburg and, accordingly, the prospects of such investments. It was also noted that Chinese partners can take part in the construction of the Martial Arts Center and the new congress and exhibition center in St. Petersburg.
In addition, according to Alexander Beglov, St. Petersburg is also interested in “smart” investments in the utilities sector, transport, and waste recycling. He also separately noted the field of medical tourism.
In response, the head of the Chinese delegation paid great attention to the friendly relations between the leaders of our states, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jingping, and recalled the recent visit of the Chinese President to St. Petersburg at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
He also said that it was a great honor for him to meet with Alexander Beglov, and thanked the city leadership for the warm welcome.
Mr. Dan indicated "a strong desire to find projects for joint cooperation." Among the promising areas were named economy, culture and industry.
The head of the Chinese delegation also invited representatives of St. Petersburg to take part in the International Forum of twin cities in Sichuan in October this year.
At the end of the meeting, in order to further specify the joint actions, Alexander Beglov and Deng Xiaogang signed an Action Plan for cooperation between St. Petersburg and the Sichuan Province (PRC) for 2019-2020. Also in the presence of two leaders, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Committee on Science and Higher Education of St. Petersburg and the Department of Education of the People’s Government of Sichuan.
In addition to meeting with the leadership of the city, a presentation of cooperation between St. Petersburg and the Sichuan province and a thematic photo exhibition about the Sichuan province were also organized as part of the visit. The events were organized in the famous palace of NI Chicherin at the intersection of Nevsky Prospekt and the Moika embankment, where the Taleon Imperial Hotel is now located. The event was attended by Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg Evgeny Grigoryev, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Industrial Policy and Innovation of St. Petersburg Vadim Khrabrov, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Investment of St. Petersburg Yevgeny Vasiliev and Deputy Consul General of China in St. Petersburg Zhang Wei .
During the presentation, industry agreements were signed in the areas of agriculture, tourism, science and higher education, in particular, a cooperation agreement between St. Petersburg Mining University and China Southwestern Oil University and a strategic cooperation agreement between the Four Seasons Travel Co., Ltd. (" Four Seasons Travel Co., Ltd ”) and Sichuan Tourism Investment Group.