The government of Guangzhou is planning to strengthen economic and cultural ties with cities and countries on the so-called maritime Silk Road.

Starting from port cities in China, the maritime route links with East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

The capital of Guangdong province, Guangzhou has been a major port for foreign trade since 2,000 years ago, said Chen Jianhua, mayor of Guangzhou.

It now has six sister cities in five Southeast Asian countries. The region as a whole has become the city's fourth largest trade partner.

Official statistics show that Guangzhou's trade with the region hit $13.2 billion in 2013, a 2.75 percent increase from the previous year.

The city government is also working to establish regular meetings to enhance exchanges with sister cities.

Chen said the efforts will help Guangzhou play a leading role in building a maritime Silk Road in the 21st century, a concept that President Xi Jinping proposed in late 2013 when he addressed the Indonesian parliament.

The Guangzhou city government is now working hard to add more names to the list of its sister cities.

"We plan to establish close relationships with cities in Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Asia as well as in Africa," said Chen.

The plan includes Madras in India, Karachi in Pakistan, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Haifa in Israel, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, Nairobi in Kenya, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and Victoria in the Seychelles.

"All those are major ports along the maritime Silk Road," he said.

He said research findings show that the maritime Silk Road connected China to countries in Southeast Asia and Northeastern Africa to the south and Japan and the Korean peninsula in the east.

"We will visit our sister city - Surabaya in Indonesia - some time this year," Chen said, adding that there have been high-level exchanges between the two cities annually in recent years.

In addition, the Guangzhou government is planning to further strengthen trade relations with countries in West Asia.

According to the plan, it will seek investment from those countries while helping local companies go global.

It will also invite businesspeople to participate in events including a Cantonese food festival and international travel expo.

The government is also earmarking funds to offer financial support to less developed countries in the region.

"We received overseas assistance when we initially opened our doors to the world. Now we should offer a hand to those countries in need," said a local official.

In addition to financial support, the Guangzhou city government will send technical and medical teams to help improve local living conditions in less developed countries along the maritime Silk Road.

It will also organize Chinese artists and troupes to conduct exchanges with counterparts.

Also, in cooperation with travel agencies, the government is stimulating travel to cities along the maritime Silk Road. It will also open more direct flights to and from the cities along the ancient trade route.

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