(KZN.RU, May 26, Mikhail Chentsov). The opening in Kazan of the
Consulate General of People's Republic of China has become one of the most
significant events in public-political life of the capital of Tatarstan. This
opinion was expressed by the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin during a meeting with
the Consul General of China to Kazan Wu Yingqin.
Ilsur Metshin congratulated the Consul General with the appointment. “I
am sincerely glad to meet you. I hope that Kazan will become your family and
together we could do a lot to make friendly relations between China and the
Republic of Tatarstan become even stronger”, - the Mayor said and noted that Kazan
and Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Chengdu have established permanent
friendly relations in the context of twinning agreements.
The Mayor also emphasized that Russian-Chinese relations are of
strategic partnership and countries have already implemented a lot of joint
projects in sport industry, mechanical engineering, in the field of trade and
economic relations and the development of entrepreneurship. Tourism, according
to I. Metshin deserves special attention.
The Mayor noted
that Kazan has "China Friendly" project, which is designed to provide
a comfortable stay for Chinese tourists in the capital of Tatarstan, to reduce language
barrier and possible shock of cultural differences. “Last year Kazan was
visited by 6 million tourists from China. We believe that this are only first
steps”, - I. Metshin said.
General Consul of China in Kazan Wu Yingqin said that he has heard about
Kazan and it was an honor to work in such a beautiful city.
“Kazan is connected with the names of Leo Tolstoy and Vladimir Lenin,
therefore, more and more Chinese people learn about it. I hope that the number
of tourists from China in your city will only grow”, - the Consul General said.
Wu Yingqin also said that under the leadership of Ilsur Metshin, the capital of
Tatarstan has achieved significant results – has successfully held the
Universiade in 2013, and is now actively preparing to host the FIFA Confederations
Cup and FIFA World Cup 2018.
Consul General of the PRC also noted that Kazan is one of the economic
centers of Russia, which is a transport hub connecting Europe and Asia. “We can
say that Kazan is a key point in the economic belt of the Silk Road, so we
think we have a great prospect of cooperation”, - Wu Yingqin said.