The vicissitudes of the sea are shallow and deep, and friends are happy to know each other. Since Yiwu and Awaji City in Japan concluded friendly exchange relations on July 11, 2014, the two cities have held hands for 5 years.
Five years later, on July 11, a government delegation led by Yoshio Ota, Speaker of the Awaji City Council of Japan, visited Yiwu and signed an agreement on deepening friendly exchanges and cooperation on the basis of years of friendly exchanges between the two cities.
In recent years, Japan and Yiwu have had close economic and trade exchanges. Taking 2018 as an example, the import and export volume between Yiwu and Japan reached 187 million US dollars, an increase of 34.43% year-on-year. Among them, exports were 131 million US dollars, an increase of 18.27% year-on-year; imports were 56 million US dollars, an increase of 97.89% year-on-year. According to statistics, as of the end of 2018, Japan has set up 18 foreign-funded companies and 17 permanent representative offices in Yiwu; 8160 temporary entry into Yiwu by Japan have issued 7 residence permits.
It is understood that Awaji City is located in the southern part of Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, and is a city in the northern part of Awaji Island, adjacent to Kobe City through the Akashi Strait Bridge. The city's main industries are agriculture, which is dominated by flower cultivation, animal husbandry, aquaculture, tourism, and incense production, which accounts for the highest output in the country. With its beautiful environment, rich products, and ancient history, Awaji City is a popular destination for leisure sightseeing in Japan. In the past five years, the two sides have carried out a total of 28 exchanges, which have laid a certain foundation for both economic and trade exchanges and educational exchanges.
The commemoration of the fifth anniversary of friendly exchanges will bring new opportunities for the economic construction and development of the two cities. Strengthen diversified exchanges and cooperation in various fields such as administration, tourism, economy, culture, education, and talents, strive to expand fields and depth, and promote common prosperity and development. At the same time, through information exchange and sharing, deepen friendly relations, enhance mutual understanding between friendly exchange cities, and further promote friendly relations and prosperity between the two cities and the two countries.
During the Period of The Chinese People's Republic of China, the delegation will also visit the Urban Planning Hall, the International Trade City, the International Trade Service Center, and fotang Ancient Town.