Chinese province Gansu wants Sister-State pact with Maharashtra

MUMBAI: The Gansu province of China wants to forge a long-standing cultural and economic exchanges with Maharashtra and wants to sign an agreement to bolster ties between the two regions.

The visiting Governor of Gansu, Liu Weiping, today said his province is keen to sign a Sister-State agreement with Maharashtra which will provide a framework for forging and enhancing cultural exchange and economic cooperation between the two states.

The Governor of the northwest province on the ancient silk route met Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao at his official residence here, an official release said.

Liu said a Sister-City agreement was signed between Aurangabad (Central Maharashtra) and Dunhuang (Gansu) during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to China in May.

During the meeting, Rao said the visits by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi to each other's countries have further strengthened the relations between the two Asian giants.

Welcoming the idea of Sister-State agreement between Gansu and Maharashtra, Rao said as Chancellor of Universities in Maharashtra, he would welcome student exchange programme between the two sides.