Municipal authorities of Kunming of China and Yangon of Myanmar signed an agreement in Yangon on Monday on establishing friendship-city relationship between the two cities of the two countries.

Kunming is the capital of China's southwestern Yunnan Province, while Yangon is Myanmar's former capital and now a commercial city.

On behalf of the respective sides, Qiu He, secretary of the Communist Party of China Kunming Municipal Committee of Yunnan Province, and Yangon Mayor Brigadier-General Aung Thein Lin, signed the agreement.

Attending the signing ceremony were Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Guan Mu and high-ranking officials of two municipal authorities.

Speaking at the ceremony, Qiu said the friendly exchange and cooperation between Kunming and Yangon continued to strengthen in recent years laying down a firm foundation for the forging of the friendship-city relationship through exchange of visits of personnel of the two sides, project exchange and joint seeking of ways of cooperation and development.

The signing of the agreement has opened a new page of friendly cooperation between Kunming and Yangon, he said, adding that after the establishment of friendship-city relationship, the two sides will take stronger measures to further enhance the cooperation between the two cities in the fields of economy, trade, culture, education, health, technology, and tourism, among others, to realize a win-win situation for the well-being of the peoples of the two cities.

On the occasion, Aung Thein Lin said the Kunming municipal goodwill delegation's visit is significant to the relationship between Myanmar and China, especially between Myanmar and Yunnan Province which share a common boundary of thousands of kilometers.

The signing of the agreement would bring about further consolidation of the friendly ties between the two cities, he added.

Qiu, who leads a 24-member goodwill delegation on a visit to Myanmar, arrived in Yangon on Sunday.

(Xinhua News Agency December 2, 2008)