Today we (well, we as a city- but to be exact the people doing the signing were District Governor Zdravko Dimitrov and President of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Committee Yu Sung ) signed a contract establishing twin-regional relations with the Chinese province Hainan. The agreement was signed in the Hall of the Regional Administration Plovdiv.

The partnership with Hainan Province aims to expand cooperation between the two countries and promote mutual understanding between the peoples of Bulgaria and China, reported the press office of the District Administration.

The two sides agreed to make joint efforts to promote friendly relations and bilateral economic and trade flow, and actively carry out exchanges and cooperation in the fields of agriculture, tourism, logistics, medical services, culture and others. The initiative to create a lasting partnership relation with Hainan Province is Mr. Zhang, Chairman of China Department of the Bulgarian-Chinese Association for Business and Development.

„The memorandum signed today provides the basis for a long-term cooperation and business partnership landmark between Plovdiv Region and Hainan Province,“ said regional governor Zdravko Dimitrov. On his initiative will develop a program for the exchange of Bulgarian and Chinese students
It was discussed that Chinese airlines may start to land directly on the Plovdiv airport (which, by the way, is the best airport in Bulgaria). Our guests from Hainan showed interest in opportunities for investment in „Trakia economic zone“ and invited Bulgarian producers of fruit and vegetables on the upcoming Fair of tropical fruits.
Other cities Plovdiv is `friends ` with (or as it is officially called – twinned ) include :
Brno, Czech Republic.
Gyumri, Armenia.
Bursa, Turkey
Columbia, United States.
Daegu, South Korea.
Gyumri, Armenia.
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Istanbul, Turkey.
Surigao City, Philippines
Ivanovo, Russia.
Košice, Slovakia. (since 2000)[164]
Kumanovo, Мacedonia.
Kutaisi, Georgia.
Leskovac, Serbia.
Gornji Milanovac, Serbia.
Luoyang, China.
Ohrid, Macedonia.
Okayama, Japan.
Petra, Jordan.
Poznań, Poland.
Rome, Italy
Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Thessaloniki, Greece.
Valencia, Venezuela.
Kastoria, Greece. (since 2005)
Exciting!