Lhoka and Nepal’s Bhaktapur become sister cities
Lhoka of SW China's Tibet Autonomous Region and Nepal’s third largest city, Bhaktapur, recently signed an international sister city agreement, official source said on Aug.16.
Bhaktapur means “Pious City” in Nepali. It is the Kathmandu Valley ancient Newar cultural center and is famous around the world for its exquisite craftsmanship.
Bhaktapur was hit hard by the “4.25”Nepal earthquake in 2015. Ganesh Nipali, acting mayor of Bhaktapur, expressed his gratitude for the earthquake relief work Lhokaprovided last year, and wished Lhokaand Bhaktapur a long-lasting friendship. He said that, in line with the principle of bilateral cooperation and equality, Lhokaand Bhaktapur became sister cities, which will bring considerable benefits to both cities as well as China and Nepal. “Benefits will arise from both cities exchanging experience in relation to economy, culture, education, tourism and city management.”
Lhoka, historically known as “Yarlung”, has a long history and is the cradle of Tibetan people and culture. In recent years Lhoka’s economy and society has maintained rapid development. In 2015 its GDP reached 11.36 billion yuan and ibecame a city in May this year.
Wang Youhua, vice mayor ofLhoka, said that Nepal is a traditional friendly neighbor of China, and Lhokaand Bhaktapur have much common ground. There is a high degree of economic correlation and both cities complement each other. In particular, experience gained from successful development of Bhaktapur’s tourism industry is a good point of reference and worth learning from.