Richmond mayor takes delegation on trip to China for cultural exchange with sister city

Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez and five other delegates arrived in Shanghai Thursday to begin a 10-day trip in China. The delegation will also visit Zhoushan —  Richmond’s sister city since 1993 — to discuss cultural and economic collaboration with local officials, including an education exchange program. 

That program would invite Chinese students to a community college in Contra Costa County and fund some Richmond students to visit a university in Zhoushan. 

“They have a university there, and they already set up classes for them,” Martinez said. 

The Zhoushan Foreign Affairs Office confirmed that the educational exchange, if approved by  the two cities, will take place at Zhejiang Ocean University, which was founded in 1988 and specializes in marine sciences, aquaculture and marine economy. 

The Zhoushan Foreign Affairs Office also expressed interest in sending Chinese students to Richmond 

Joining Martinez on the trip will be his wife, Liz Watts, Richmond-Zhoushan Friendship Commissioners Nathaniel Bates and Joseph Kong, Bates’ son Steven Bates, and Kong’s associate Lydia Cuiting.

In the past, such trips have spurred criticism from community members, centered on travel expenses and the trips’ effectiveness. 

Only Martinez’s travel expenses, estimated to be $2,500 in total for airfare and a hotel stay in Shanghai, will be funded by the city, according to the commission’s staff liaison Trina Jackson-Lincoln. Other representatives will use personal funds, she said. 

Zhoushan will host the delegation and cover transportation, housing and meals in Hangzhou and Zhoushan, Jackson-Lincoln said. 

Connecting with the world

Richmond has a long history of fostering international solidarity by forming sister cities. Zhoushan has been Richmond’s sister city since 1993. Two other Richmond sister cities are Shimada, Japan, and Regla, Cuba, and a potential sister city agreement with Sebastia, Palestine, is underway. 

Such agreements have resulted in many cultural exchanges: Young professionals from Zhoushan have come to Contra Costa College for a one- to three-month English-learning program, according to the Zhoushan Foreign Affairs Office. Richmond’s Shimada Friendship Park was built in Marina Bay as a symbol of peace and friendship. Kennedy High School hosted an educational exchange program in 2019, inviting Japanese students to stay with Richmond families. And medical supplies and humanitarian aid were collected for Cuba by the Richmond-Regla Friendship Committee in 2019.

Martinez did not elaborate on any business collaboration between Richmond and Zhoushan, or offer details on a Chinese-backed development plan at Point Richmond that hasn’t matured for a decade. 

“I think it’s more cultural than business,” Martinez said of the relationship between the sister cities.

An archipelago in eastern China, Zhoushan has about 1 million people and is known for its tourism and marine economy. 

Over the weekend and on Monday, the delegation will attend the Seventh Annual US-China Sister Cities Conference in Hangzhou, about a three-hour drive from Zhoushan.  On Tuesday, delegates will visit Shaoxing, then arrive in Zhoushan on Wednesday. After meeting with Zhoushan officials, they will have a closing dinner on Friday. 

According to documents in the Oct. 7 Richmond City Council agenda packet, Martinez will propose and ratify a new agreement between Richmond and Zhoushan. The last agreement, covering 2023–2026, called for deepening “pragmatic exchanges and cooperation” in areas such as arts and culture, education, tourism, and economic development. The mayor’s office did not respond to Richmond Confidential’s request for the new agreement.

Commissioners will provide a presentation of the trip to the Richmond-Zhoushan Friendship Commission upon returning. The mayor “typically gives brief reports” on such trips to the public at a City Council meeting, Ana Tellez-Witrago, spokesperson for the mayor’s office, said in an email. 

(Top photo: Zhoushan Islands, by liuzr99, Courtesy of Wikipedia Common)

---

Richmond protesters join national march against police brutality