New Jersey Mayors have learned there’s no better way
to foster relationships than with a hearty Jersey
Seafood Fest hosted by the New Jersey Conference of
Mayors.
Millville now has proof positive the
same formula is a winner in International Relations.
The Mayor of Shuangliu County, Fu Lijan,
and his delegation from Sichuan Province in the
Peoples Republic of China, feasted with our City
officials and guests over Ike’s Famous Crab Cakes,
soft-shell crabs, and other savory Jersey Shore
delicacies at the conclusion of a five-day visit to
the Holly City of America during the last week of
June.
A ceremonial exchange of gifts on the
deck of the Union Lake Sailing Club at sunset
wrapped up the impressive whirlwind tour of
Millville,
Cape May, Trenton, and Philadelphia with our
newfound friends.
Millville and Shuangliu entered into a
Sister City relationship last December, and this
visit afforded to opportunity to formalize the
agreement with a mutual signing of a compact.
We found many common themes with our
Sister
City.
Both communities are host to large airports, and
both are cultivating arts districts and motorsports
parks. Shuangliu means “twin rivers”, and, as New
Jersey’s Mayors know, Millville sits on the
federally recognized Wild and Scenic Maurice and
Menantico Rivers.
In fact, one of the highlights of the
visit was a trip from Millville down the Maurice
River as far south as Donald Fauerbach’s Maurice
River Township home, where the New Jersey Conference
of Mayors Annual Executive Summit and Jersey Seafood
Fest has been held each September for the past 14
years.
During the course of the voyage aboard
the party boat “Bodacious”, the tour group was
treated to the sight of two majestic Bald Eagles
soaring just above the boat. It was a rare treat,
indeed, for our visitors from the Chinese region
which is home to Panda Bears to see
America’s
national symbol in the wild.
Of course, as our main goal was to
foster business relationships with our Chinese
guests, the delegation visited several important
sites in
Millville
and the surrounding area, including Silverton
Marine, the Millville Airport Industrial Park,
Cumberland County College, South Jersey Regional
Hospital, and T-Fal.
The T-Fal connection is most interesting
as that is a French-based firm specializing in house
wares. T-Fal started in
Millville
as a warehouse operation, and moved to assembly of
products. The company is a prime example of the
benefits of building solid international business
relationships.
Our guests were most impressed with the
redevelopment of
Millville’s
Glasstown Arts District and the many shops which
have brought new life to the city’s commercial
center. This attraction was linked with a visit to
Wheaton Village and a lesson on Millville’s glass
manufacturing heritage.
Joining Mayor Fu were Mr. Liao Weizhong,
Director of the Shuangliu Government Office; Mr.
Zhang Xiaohua, Director of the Shuangliu Government
Personnel Bureau; Ms. Huang Zhongqun, Director of
the Shuangliu Government Culture and Sports Bureau;
Mr. Sun Yigou, head of the town of
Dong Sheng;
and their interpreter, Ms. Lan Wei.
With the success of this visit,
Millville officials are planning a reciprocal trip
to Shuangliu this September to solidify the
relationship.
There’s no doubt building international
bridges of friendship with China brings with it a
promise of future economic development into one of
the world’s largest marketplaces.
Bio and caption for photo: City of
Millville Mayor James Quinn
is serving his 3rd term as Mayor of
Millville since 1997. He also served as Cumberland
County Freeholder Director for 2 of his 8 years on
the board of freeholders. Mayor Quinn is shown here
with Chinese Mayor Fu Lijan of
Shuangliu
County
as they exchanged gifts.
