Cape Breton Regional Municipality twins with Chinese city

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality has signed an agreement to create a sister-city relationship with the Chinese port city of Dalian.

The deal was brokered by Harbor-Port Development Partners, the agency with exclusive authority to negotiate on behalf of CBRM to develop a container terminal in the port of Sydney.

Harbor-Port CEO Albert Barbusci says the relationship will offer benefits in a number of ways.

"Dalian has agreed to work with us [on port development]," he said. "But the real value is for Nova Scotia and Cape Breton to look at the potential trading that they can do with China."

Barbusci said the sister-city agreement will work on at least three levels.

"One is to have a port relationship, second would be city to city and the third tier, which is the most important tier, is to bring the peers together, the business community from Cape Breton and Nova Scotia and to match them up with our colleagues from Dalian so that they can begin to talk about what's important, and that is trade and business."

Mayor excited by possibilities

CBRM Mayor Cecil Clarke was recently in Dalian, forging relationships related to the sister-city agreement. He's excited about the potential of the deal.

"What it means is taking a population of 100,000 people and putting us on the world stage," he said, "and connecting us with the wider world that's spending money, investing, with very diverse and vibrant economies and cultures."

Clarke said a dinner in China with officials from Dalian was all about business and the potential for a pairing with Cape Breton.

"This is a city of six million people, and growing, cosmopolitan, phenomenal." he said.

A delegation from Dalian will come to Cape Breton in May to talk about commercial, cultural and educational opportunities.