CEBU CITY (PNA) — Officials of Xiamen, China flew here last Tuesday and sought to strengthen cooperation and cultural ties with Cebu City amid the outcry over the violent hostage-taking in Manila last Monday, which resulted in the death of several Hong Kong tourists.

Xiamen municipal committee officials and businessmen arrived in Cebu City to promote Xiamen Star Satellite TV which, the group said, would be an opportunity for better understanding of their arts and culture by Filipinos.

Sharing with Cebuanos their television programs through cable or Internet TV is one way of enhancing the cultural exchange and cooperation between the sister-cities of Xiamen and Cebu City, according to Hong Biling, head of the Chinese delegation and member of the Standing Committee of the Xiamen Municipal Committee, who also said that they are looking for local partners that can air their programs.

Xiamen Star TV had earlier been launched in Malaysia, where TV programs are broadcast through the Internet.

“We are also here to visit our relatives because Xiamen and Cebu City are sister-cities for over a decade now,” said Biling through an interpreter.

“Also, we are here to launch Xiamen Star TV. In Malaysia, we have the programs through Internet protocol TV so we have to find a local partner here for this.”

Biling and some 30 officials and Xiamen Star TV executives were joined by city officials during an activity at the Cebu Grand Convention Center.

“With the objective of enhancing the cultural exchanges and cooperation between our two cities through the use of satellite TV, this can only improve the understanding of both our people and hopefully, build even stronger ties between our two governments and business community as a whole,” said Alfredo Go of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Xiamen-Cebu City sister city agreement was signed last Oct. 26, 1984 during the term of then Cebu City Mayor Dr. Florentino Solon.

The agreement has, hence, resulted in bilateral visits, trade missions and other official exchanges between the two cities.

In September 2007, then Mayor Tomas Osmeña and other city officials flew to Xiamen for the inauguration of a Cebu City Park and Cebu City Street in Xiamen.