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No. 5: Get a sister city in China
Columbia participates in the Sister Cities International program with siblings in Russia (Chelyabinsk), Romania (Cluj Napoca), Bulgaria (Plovdiv), and Germany (Kaiserslautern). The Sister Cities guidelines try to match like cities, places with much in common and much to share. In Russia, for instance, St. Petersburg is a Sister City with Los Angeles. In Germany, Los Angeles is tied with Berlin. Chicago gets Mexico City, Athens, and Paris, among many other world–class cities on par with the Windy City. On a much smaller scale, Pendleton, SC, corresponds with Western Isles, Scotland, UK.
Hebi City and its population range of 100,000– 300,000 is a good fit for Columbia. Hebi City , located in the Henan Province, is listed among the cities in China looking for an American Sister City about its same size. Hebi City has no existing Sister City, anywhere, and maybe there’s a good reason for that. But if they’re looking and we’re looking, well, enough dances and eventually the two get together. Last year China rung up a growth rate in its gross domestic product (GDP) of 9.5%, and this year should be little different. Germany doesn’t expect to do any better than a little over 1% in GDP growth for the coming year, while its unemployment rate is at a record high of 11%. Point in this comparison being, we have a Sister City in Germany where the economy is in the toilet and likely to stay there for a while. So we should work the other end of capitalism and set up a Sister City in China. Hebi City is one prospect, and out of 1.3 billion people, there must be plenty others. We just need to start working the country and its comparable cities. In Columbia we’re lucky to have companies who do significant business with China. Two worth engaging in this Sister City effort are UTi Integrated Logistics and Wilbur Smith Associates. UTi Integrated Logistics is part of UTi Worldwide with offices in China. They are among the world’s largest logistics companies, and the world headquarters for UTi Integrated Logistics is on the fourth floor of the Carolina First building at the corner of Hampton and Main. Wilbur Smith Associates, headquartered in Columbia, is one of the largest transportation planning firms in the world. They are located in the Wilbur Smith Building, surprisingly enough, at the corner of Sumter and Gervais, about four blocks from UTi Integrated Logistics. We have others, of course, but these two firms are the most likely and the most qualified to help. The next step: Someone on especially good terms with both firms and city council needs to come forward and put this deal together. Hebi City and its peers are waiting. Fast Facts
Region: Asia Country: China, Henan Province Population: 100,000–300,000 Economic details: Agriculture, cattle and poultry as well as tourist attractions |
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