Vice Governor Song Hai met with Keiko Kiyohara, Representative of and Special Advisor to the Governor of Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, as well as delegation head of Hyogo Joint Summer Session at Sea 2006, along with other delegation officials on the afternoon of September 8, 2006 in provincial hall.

Song extended his warm welcome to Keiko, who heads a 502-member delegation of Hyogo Joint Summer Session at Sea 2006 to visit Guangdong, as well as his appreciation to Hyogo Prefecture, which has organized 12 Hyogo Joint Summer Session at Sea exchange programs to visit Guangdong for young student exchanges in the past 12 years. "Since the establishment of sister relations between Guangdong and Hyogo in 1983, fruitful exchanges and cooperation have been achieved in various areas such as education, agriculture, training, environmental protection, etc. with great importance attached by relevant government leaders and great efforts made by government departments concerned. In particular, understanding and friendship between young students of Guangdong and Hyogo is further enhanced and friendly relationship between Guangdong and Hyogo is further promoted through Hyogo Joint Summer Session at Sea to send young Japanese students to visit Guangdong as well as young local students organized to visit Hyogo by Guangdong," Song said.

Song also briefed the delegation about the social and economic development in Guangdong and expressed his hope that Guangdong and Hyogo compliment each other in various areas and exchanges and cooperation in economy and trade continue to develop.

Keiko expressed his appreciation for Guangdong's hospitality and recalled his Guangdong trip dating back 1973 as a university student with great pleasure, adding that he realizes great change have taken place in Guangdong in the past three decades and he admires the great achievements Guangdong has accomplished since then. Keiko also expressed his gratitude to witness the fruits of friendly exchanges between Guangdong and Hyogo. Additionally, Keiko required Song to extend the warm greetings from Ido Toshizo, Governor of Hyogo, to Governor Huang Huahua.

Yu Min, Deputy Director General of Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office was present in the meeting.

Editor: Wing