Mayor sends solidarity via Chinese television

Derry has enjoyed close fraternal ties with the large port city in Liaoning province in north eastern China for over two years.

In 2017 Derry and Dalian signed a ‘Friendly Co-operative City Agreement’ and have been forging closer ties ever since.

In light of the coronavirus outbreak, which, originated in China, has killed almost 3,000 people and caused severe economic disruption in the country, the Mayor sent her support to her colleagues in Dalian. While the city has been relatively unscathed in terms of deaths from the COVID-19 illness, it has been affected by emergency measures taken by the People’s Republic of China to contain the virus.

A spokesperson for Derry City & Strabane District Council said the Mayor has extended her best wishes to the people of China both through personal communication with members of the local Chinese community and on a wider scale via Chinese Central Television (CCTV) one of China’s biggest broadcasters, organised through the Chinese Consulate in Belfast.

Council and its partners through its Friendly Cities Agreement have forged Economic, Cultural and Educational links with the City of Dalian in recent years and we stand in solidarity with the people of Dalian and China during what is such a challenging and distressing time.