Guo Yonghang, mayor of Guangzhou, recently sent a letter of condolences to João Campos, mayor of Recife, Brazil, after the Guangzhou international sister city, recently suffered severe floods that caused heavy casualties and property loss. 

Yan Yuqing, China's consul general in Recife, read Guo's letter at the charity donation ceremony held on June 10.

Guo said that Recife is an important sister city of Guangzhou in the letter of condolences. Although the two cities are separated by thousands of miles, they have always cared about each other. The people of Guangzhou feel sympathy for the heavy casualties and property loss caused by the floods in Recife. 

He expressed hope that the people of Recife can overcome the disaster, rebuild their homes, and restore prosperity.

Guangzhou and Recife established an international sister city relationship in 2007. The two cities have carried out exchanges in the fields of economy, trade, culture, tourism, and urban construction over the past 10 years. In 2008, Guangzhou Port also signed a friendship port agreement with Suape Port in Recife.

In 2021, the English School Attached to Guangdong University of Foreign Studies and Murakami High School signed an agreement to become international sister schools, creating a new platform for youth exchanges between China and Brazil.

Teenagers from the two cities have conducted 12 online exchanges, covering a wide range of themes like local culture, robots, and drones. The activities have helped students from the two places enhance their understanding of each other more.

Guo Yonghang, mayor of Guangzhou, sends a letter of condolences to João Campos, mayor of Recife. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]