Vietnam's economic and commercial hub and most populous locality, Ho Chi Minh City, wants to be twinned with China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) this year, a local official said Wednesday.

While meeting with visiting Chief Executive of Macao SAR Edmund Ho Hau Wah, Chairman of the People's Committee of the southern city Le Hoang Quan said the 6.4-million people city, already twinned with China's Shanghai city, is planning to beef up exchange and cooperation with Macao, including being this year twinned with the region, which has seen rapid development in various spheres, and gained admirable achievements.

Besides learning Macao's experiences, Ho Chi Minh City hopes that it and Macao will see many new breakthroughs in such fields as tourism, economy, trade, urban construction and management, and launch of a direct air route between the city and the region, Quan said, noting that since Macao returned to China, the region has been full of vitality under the "one country, two systems" principle.

For his part, Ho said Macao and Ho Chi Minh City have many advantages and can complement each other. They have a rosy development scenario.

The Macao authorities, in addition to establishing and fostering the friendly and cooperative ties with Vietnam's central government, want the region to be twinned with Ho Chi Minh City, Ho said. Macao will also promote its role as a bridge for exchanges between Asian nations and Portuguese-speaking countries, and create more opportunities for the development of relations between China and Vietnam in general and Macao and the southern city in particular.

Ho led a Macao delegation to visit Vietnam on Oct. 8 at the invitation of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem. Ho Chi Minh City is the last leg of his five-day visit to the country's major cities.

Source: Xinhua