Next China-France Round Table of Mayors to be held in Strasbourg

The second China-France Round Table of Mayors concluded Monday in Chengdu, and the next will be held in Strasbourg, France, according to the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA).

Christina Sautter, deputy mayor of Paris, said at the closing ceremony that the delegation of French mayors enjoyed warm greetings and reception in this capital city of Sichuan Province and expressed his appreciation of the well organizing of the meeting.

Sautter said that this meeting laid a solid foundation for future cooperation between Chinese and French cities, noting that the Chinese and French mayors share the strong will of protecting cultural and natural heritage in cities and upgrading the people's living.

CPIFA President Lu Qiutian expressed his belief that the attendees at the meeting had learned from each other a lot about urban transportation, the protection of historical blocks, trash disposal, tourism development and heritage protection.

Referring to heritage site protection and the coordinated development between environment and economy, Daniel Hoeffel, president of the Association of French Mayors, said both China and France enjoy a long history and rich culture, noting that respecting the past means a guarantee of a coordinated development in the future.

He also called on both the Chinese and French governments to make more publicity in this regard.

The two-day China-France Round Table of Mayors attracted 22 mayors from the two countries.

They discussed problems relating to urban and rural construction, tourism and urban development, small and medium-sized companies and urban development and city heritage protection.

Source: Xinhua