Sanxia Daily (Reporter Gao Wei) On November 16, Ma Zejiang, the mayor of Yichang City and the deputy secretary of Yichang Municipal Party Committee met with Dave Murphy, consul general for Canada in Shanghaiwhen he was visiting Yichang City.

　　Ma Zejiang expressed his warm welcome to Mu Dawei and his delegation and expressed his sincere thanks to friends at home and abroad who have cared about and supported the development of Yichang for a long time. He said that Yichang is known as “the world’s hydropower capital, and the power heart of China.” Since this year, Yichang has coordinated well between epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development. The growth rate of Yichang’s main economic indicators has returned to its previously important position of Hubei Province, and the economic development has shown a good trend of comprehensive recovery, rapid growth and steady improvement. It is estimated that the annual GDP will exceed 500 billion yuan. At the same time,Yichang and Canada have carried out fruitful exchanges and cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, education and culture, and the friendly relations have been deepening.In 2020, under the impact of the epidemic, the trade volume between the two sides increased instead of decreased, with a year-on-year increase of 14%. In the post epidemic era, we hope that both sides will further enhance mutual understanding, deepen mutual friendship, and carry out practical cooperation in various fields such as industry, science and technology, and environmental protection to achieve mutual benefits and win-win results. We also hope that the consul-general Dave Murphy will support continuously the development of Yichang and create favorable conditions for further exchanges and cooperation between the two sides.

　　Dave Murphy spoke highly of decisive response to the epidemic and the rapid return of production and living order to normal condition in Yichang, Hubei Province. He said that Yichang boasts unparalleled hydropower resources, which has a lot in common with Canada. The two sides have also been maintaining good cooperation in the fields of new energy industry, consumer goods, food, manufacturing and education. At present, reducing carbon emissions to combat climate change has gradually become a global consensus. We hope that both sides will continue to communicate openly, strengthen contacts and deepen cooperation, so as to better fulfil responsibilities of ecological and environmental protection and promote greater progress in the development of new energy industry. Yichang is an open and inclusive international city with complete development elements, a strong industrial base and great potential for the future. The Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai will focus on recommending Yichang and promoting more Canadian-funded enterprises to invest in Yichang, and contributing to the acceleration of local economic and social development.

　　Zhu Xiaobin, deputy director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee, and Zhou Zhengying, deputy mayor of Yichang Municipal Government, attended the meeting.