IPOH: The friendship city ties between Ipoh and Nanning, China since 2005 has yielded many positive impacts in the fields of economy, science and technology, trade, culture, education and sports.

State Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Sandrea Ng Shy Ching said the purpose of creating such a relationship is to strengthen and advance partnership and cooperation between the two cities to promote understanding and friendship between citizens of Malaysia and China.

"Among them, through the Nanning International Folk Song Arts Festival, the China Asia Expo, the Asian Mayors Forum, as well as official and courtesy visits.

"Nanning has also helped a lot by donating essential health equipment during the COVID-19 outbreak, including two units of ventilators to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital,” she said at the memorandum of understanding (MoU) renewal ceremony between Nanning and Ipoh, here on Friday (June 9) night.

The MoU was signed by Ipoh mayor Datuk Rumaizi Baharin representing the Ipoh City Council, while the city of Nanning was represented by Foreign Affairs Office deputy director Huang Haiyan and witnessed by Sandrea.

On April 1, 2005, the then Ipoh mayor Datuk Hassan Nawawi Abd Rahman signed an MoU on friendship city with then deputy mayor of Nanning, Xiao Yingzi, in Kuala Lumpur.- Bernama