GUILIN, Aug 22 — Guilin, one of China’s most visited cities famed for its dramatic landscape of towering limestone cliffs, is hoping to establish a sister city connection with Kota Kinabalu.
Guilin’s Publicity Departments director-general Li Jun said that the two cities have been in communication and they have invited the Kota Kinabalu mayor to attend the China-Asean Expo Tourism Exhibition (CAEXPOTE) next month in Guilin.
“Through this platform, Guilin hopes to sign a letter of intent to establish its Sister City agreement with Kota Kinabalu, aiming to foster further cooperation between the two cities,” he said.
Speaking to a Sabah media delegation at dinner last night, he said there has been official communication between the two cities including a trip from Kota Kinabalu’s City Hall councillors with both sides eager to sign the letter of intent during the upcoming expo.
“Guilin was one of the earliest cities in the Guangxi region to establish sister city relationships outside of the country and currently has 12 international sister cities,” said Li adding that Asean countries were a key focus for the city.
“Sabah is also renowned for its magnificent natural scenery and rich cultural heritage, often referred to as the ‘Land Below the Wind,’ and shares many similarities with Guilin,” he said.
Langkawi is already one of Guilin’s sister cities while Sabah currently has international relations with eight other cities including Hangzhou, Heyuan and Jiangmen in China.
Li said that tourism will be a significant sector for China and Malaysia to enhance its mutual understanding and exchanges and expressed hope for direct flights between the two cities in the future.
China is Sabah’s largest inbound market segment with direct flights to several cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Shenzhen, Ningbo, Chengdu and Fuzhou.
Asked about tourism, Li said that he hoped to strengthen cultural and artistic exchanges between Guilin and Kota Kinabalu and that the expo provides a valuable platform for both cities to promote their tourism routes and products.
He also expressed hope for increased media exchanges between the two regions, with plans to send Guilin journalists to Malaysia as a promotional effort.
Guilin is known worldwide for its stunning limestone karst landscapes and rivers that wind through the city.
Recognised as a historic cultural city in China, it is an immensely popular tourist destination both domestically and internationally.
In the first half of this year, Guilin welcomed 375,000 international tourists, of which 50,000 were Malaysians while domestic tourists ran into the tens of millions.
Guilin’s natural beauty, caves, and rich cultural history dating back 2,100 years are its most popular attractions.
The Li River is a World Tourism Organisation recommended destination.
Li said that Guilin is striving to become a world-class tourism city by developing its city with Guangxi-style Chinese characteristics and “Guilin essence.”
