Guangzhou and Foshan are set to further expand their economic ties and form a Guangzhou-Foshan metropolitan area after the Guangdong provincial government denied rumors the two cities would be merged.

Li Ronggen, vice-governor of Guangdong, said his government had no plan to merge Guangzhou and Foshan because the two cities were big enough already.

"But we have called for an expansion of cooperation between the two cities," said Li, at the ongoing session of the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress in Guangzhou.

He refuted rumors put forward by some overseas media that Guangzhou and Foshan would soon be merged to become a bigger metropolis able to compete with Shanghai, Beijing and other large Chinese municipalities.

"Furthering cooperation between Guangzhou and Foshan would benefit both sides, as the two cities would take advantage of each other's strengths and do away with unnecessary construction," Li said.

Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, is a financial center and trading hub in South China. It will focus on the development of its logistics, services and other tertiary industries.

Foshan is a major manufacturing base in Guangdong. Foshan's Shunde, Nanhai and Chancheng districts are the country's major production bases for household appliances, furniture and ceramics.

Guangzhou Mayor Zhang Guangning and his Foshan counterpart Chen Yunxian also expressed interest in expanding economic ties. They said the cooperation would create great potential in the future.

The two cities, which are located only 20 kilometers apart, are linked by an expressway it takes less than 20 minutes to complete the journey.

And construction of a subway project connecting the two cities has also begun.

Other cities in the prosperous Pearl River Delta are also being urged to strengthen their economic ties in the years ahead.

Source: China Daily