Wuhan City vice mayor to promote Sabah

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KOTA KINABALU: Zhang Xuemang, the vice mayor of Wuhan City of Hubei Province in China, has pledged to promote Sabah as a safe haven for tourists upon his return to China.

Zhang, who is also the president of Wuhan Overseas Friendship Association, said Sabah was blessed with beautiful scenery and hospitable people.

He said this during a dinner hosted by WSG Group managing director Datuk Susan Wong Siew Guen for the delegation here on Monday.

Zhang said the delegation hoped to achieve five goals in this visit to Kota Kinabalu, one of which was to visit old friends and establish new friendships, adding that he was touched by the warm welcome received by the delegation during their stay here.

Zhang continued to say that he had an enjoyable dialogue with Mayor Datuk Abidin Madingkir earlier that day and the latter had accepted his invitation to visit Wuhan in April.

He disclosed that Abidin would be signing a Memorandum of Understanding to form friendship city relationship between Wuhan City and Kota Kinabalu City during the latter’s visit to Wuhan.

According to records, more than 800,000 Chinese from Wuhan had travelled to Malaysia, including Sabah last year.

On that note, Zhang hoped that direct chartered flight connectivity could be established between Wuhan and Kota Kinabalu.

“We hope more people from Wuhan can travel to Sabah and vice versa,” he said, adding that he had made this proposal to Abidin.

Zhang said Sabah had rich agricultural resources and therefore he hoped that both cities could exchange and cooperate in tourism, culture, education, trade, industry and agriculture.

Zhang further said that he was informed by Abidin that Sabah was unable to achieve 3.8 million tourist arrival target last year, and due to some reasons, tourist arrivals from China had been declining.

“Upon our return to China, we will reassure our people that Sabah is safe, the people here are very friendly while the scenery is mesmerizing.”

Also present were Wong’s mother Datin Seri Panglima Chen Si Mui, Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) president Datuk Seri Panglima T.C. Goh and spouse Datin Joanne, The United Society of Guangdong Province Association Sabah president Datuk Jimmy Yong Kyok Ming, Huang Association of Malaysia president Wong Ten An, Institute for Development Studies (Sabah) chairman Datuk Seri Panglima Clarence Bongkos Malakun and spouse Datin Sylvia, Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School (STTSS) principal Hiew Hoh Shin, Counselor’s Office Wuhan Municipal People’s Government director Huang Li, Overseas Friendship Association of Jiang’an District president Liang Yanchun, Overseas Friendship Association of Qiaokou District president Peng Qianxu, Wuhan Association for Cross-Strait Exchanges vice president Zhang Qiang and Wuhan Foreign Affairs Office interpreter Deng Gang.