GUILIN, Aug 22 — Guilin, one of China’s most visited cities famed for its dramatic landscape of towering limestone cliffs, is hoping to establish a sister city connection with Kota Kinabalu. Guilin’s Publicity Departments director-general Li Jun said that the two cities have been in communication and they have invited the Kota Kinabalu mayor to attend the China-Asean Expo Tourism Exhibition (CAEXPOTE) next month in Guilin. “Through this platform, Guilin hopes to sign a letter of intent to establish its Sister City agreement with Kota Kinabalu, aiming to foster further cooperation between the two cities,” he said.
Speaking to a Sabah media delegation at dinner last night, he said there has been official communication between the two cities including a trip from Kota Kinabalu’s City Hall councillors with both sides eager to sign the letter of intent during the upcoming expo. “Guilin was one of the earliest cities in the Guangxi region to establish sister city relationships outside of the country and currently has 12 international sister cities,” said Li adding that Asean countries were a key focus for the city. “Sabah is also renowned for its magnificent natural scenery and rich cultural heritage, often referred to as the ‘Land Below the Wind,’ and shares many similarities with Guilin,” he said.
Langkawi is already one of Guilin’s sister cities while Sabah currently has international relations with eight other cities including Hangzhou, Heyuan and Jian.