The Tajik capital, Dushanbe, and China’s Hainan province, which is one of world’s large sea tourism center, have become sister cities.
An agreement on this subject was signed here yesterday. The document was inked by Dushanbe Mayor Rustam Emomali and Hainan Province Chairman Wang Yun (phonetically spelled).
During the meeting, Dushanbe mayor and Hainan chairman exchanged views on issues related to establishment of bilateral cooperation between the Tajik capital and Hainan province, according to the Dushanbe mayor’s office.
They reportedly outlined sectors like light industry, food production, education and tourism as areas of which could drive the bilateral trade between Dushanbe and Hainan.
Hainan is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. The province has an area of 33,920 square kilometers, with Hainan Island making up 32,900 square kilometers (97%) and the rest divided among 200 islands scattered across three archipelagos. It was administered as part of Guangdong until 1988, when it became a separate province; around the same time, it was made the largest Special Economic Zone established by Deng Xiaoping as part of the Chinese economic reform.
There are a total of ten major cities and ten counties in Hainan Province. Haikou on the northern coast of Hainan Island is the capital while Sanya is a well-known tourist destination on the southern coast. The other major cities are Wenchang, Qionghai, Wanning, Wuzhishan, Dongfang, and Danzhou.
Hainan's economy is predominantly agricultural, and more than a half of the island's exports are agricultural products. Hainan's elevation to province-level status (1988), however, was accompanied by its designation as China's largest “special economic zone”, the intent being to hasten the development of the island's plentiful resources. Tourism plays an important part of Hainan's economy, thanks largely to its tropical beaches and lush forests. The central government has encouraged foreign investment in Hainan and has allowed the island to rely to a large extent on market forces.
