Dominica’s Roseau twins with 2 Chinese cities

Roseau, Dominica’s capital city, has twined with its Chinese counterpart, Jining City, a city in southwestern Shandong province.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed on November 8 in this regard and is aimed at further deepening ties between the two cities.

Dominica's Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Melissa Poponne-Skerrit, and Vice Governor of Shandong Province, Chen Ping, signed the MoU.

Poponne-Skerrit said the focus of the MOU is on the development of smart cities, modern agriculture and agriculture technologies, and trade.

Poponne-Skerrit revealed plans to also work closely with the Small Business Unit to market local products for export in Shandong.

“This MoU is set to benefit Roseau greatly, leading to the creation of more efficient urban infrastructure,” she added.

Dominica’s Minister of Housing and Urban Development Melissa Poponne-Skerrit (left) and Vice Governor of Shandong Province, Chen Ping following the signing of an MOU that twinned Roseau and Jining City.

Further, it will increase agricultural output in the city, provide a better quality of life for residents, and contribute to the city's advancement and growth.

This latest achievement, Minister Skerrit said is another remarkable step in her mission to create strong ties between Dominica and China.

The MoU also marks a major milestone for both countries, highlighting the importance of partnership for the benefit of their respective cities.

Jining is regarded as the hometown of Confucianism and the capital of the Grand Canal Culture, with a long history and splendid culture.

At the same time, Jining is an important commercial capital along the age-old Grand Canal, which remained, for two thousand years, the primary transport channel connecting northern China with the southern part.

Today, Jining has become the most fascinating destination for tourism, with a population of 1.5 million. As one of the industrial centres of Shandong Province, it is also regarded as one of the most promising cities for investment.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development Melissa Poponne-Skerri and Yiwu Mayor Ye Bangru pose for a picture on November 15 following the signing of an MOU that twinned Roseau and Yiwu.

Roseau has also been twinned with the Chinese city of Yiwu.

Yiwu is in the Central Zhejiang Province of Eastern China. It has a population of over 2.9 million people and is the world's largest wholesale market for daily commodities.

Meanwhile, Roseau is the capital, principal town, and major port of Dominica, an island nation of 72,000 people in the Caribbean Sea.

The town had a population of 16,582 people in 2007, making it one of the least populous capitals in the world. Roseau is the commercial centre of the island.