All of Townsville's Sister Cities are situated in the Asia-Pacific region. Over the past fifteen years, Townsville has signed Sister City agreements with six cities. They are:
The main aim of Sister City contact is to create friendship and understanding between peoples and to lay a foundation of goodwill and exchange for future generations.
Each agreement focuses on the development of mutually beneficial trade and investment, the sharing of ideas, and the promotion of cultural understanding.
Sister City relations are managed by the Townsville Sister City Committee, a group comprised of leaders in the areas of government, business, education, tourism, culture, community and sports.
Port Moresby - Papua New Guinea
Port Moresby is the capital of Papua New Guinea and the centre of what is known as the National Capital District Commission (NCDC), the authority that governs Port Moresby and its outlying areas.
The head of the NCDC is a governor, rather than a Mayor, although the position controls many of the same jurisdictions, including traditional areas of local government such as roads, rates and rubbish.
Port Moresby is Townsville's oldest Sister City, established in 1983. Since that time, significant economic development has occurred between the two centres with some $500 million in two-way trade now flowing between our ports.
Townsville has very strong contacts with Port Moresby due to the strong business relationship and the proximity of the two centres (Townsville is closer to Port Moresby than it is to Brisbane).
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Shunan - Japan
The Sister City agreement between Townsville and Shunan was established in 1990.
The agreement was originally based on the mineral trade that flowed through Townsville to the Shunan Kudamatsu Port.
Shunan City is the commercial and industrial centre of the Shunan coastal industrial zone in the south-east Yamaguchi Prefecture. It was established in 1935 and is made up of 21 districts and a population of 107,000. Although it has a land area of 339 square km. The city has a strong focus on trade through its port, as well as a significant petrochemical industry and manufacturing focus.
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Iwaki City - Japan
The Sister City agreement between Iwaki and Townsville was signed in August 1991.
The agreement was founded on the minerals exports from Townsville through to Iwaki's own international port of Onahama, providing a sound economic base for the relationship.
Iwaki lies some 200km northeast of Tokyo in the south-eastern part of the Tohoku district. The City was created in 1966 by the merger of 14 cities, towns and villages. As a result, Iwaki City has the largest area (123,000ha) of all of the 657 cities in Japan, although it also has the lowest population densities with some 350,000 people.
The city enjoys a mild temperature and is situated on one of the most beautiful coastline areas in Japan (the seagull is the official bird of Iwaki).
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Changshu - China
The Sister City agreement between Townsville and the city of Changshu in China was signed in 1995.
Changshu is a city with a population of about 1.2 million, up-river and on the outskirts of Shanghai. The two city centres are approximately 100kms apart and Changshu is involved in a port development of the Yantze River.
The city is virtually a satellite of Shanghai but is, in its own right, a city-state. It has central and provincial government approval for development as one of four major economic zones around Shanghai, with massive infrastructure development and rapidly expanding manufacturing and processing industries.
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Suwon - Korea
The Sister City agreement with Suwon, Korea was established in 1996.
Suwon City covers an area of 121 square kilometres and is situated in the Kyonggi Province in the Republic of Korea. It is mid-way between Seoul and Pusan.
The City has a population of some 1,080,000 comprising nearly 394,000 neighbourhoods, 1,635 tong, 42 villages and 4 sections.
Its main industries are in the area of electronics, being home to Samsung Electronics Co., as well as high technology and agricultural science. The people of Suwon are especially proud of Hwaseong which was registered as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1997 and a famous Korean architectural treasure which dominates the landscape of central Suwon.
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Foshan - China
Foshan - a city of culture, a city of charm
Signing of City Friendship Agreement - Foshan
Friday 28 July 2006 - Townsville Signed agreement with Foshan
The signing of our Friendship City Agreement marks the potential for a new era of exchange and mutual benefit.
At the local level Townsville has a strong historical relationship with the people of China and some of our greatest citizens emigrated from your land.
Townsville has welcomed Foshan as a valued international partner and appreciates the importance of strong and productive outwardly focused relationships.
The signing of the Friendship City Agreement highlights the many prospective links between our two cities and the benefits of exchange in our comparative advantages. This is an important historical milestone for both our cities. Ours is a two-way opportunity that's as diverse and rich as we choose to make it.
The people of Foshan will always be honoured guests in our community.
For more information about Townsville's Sister Cities, please contact Townsville City Council's Economic Development Unit on 1300 878 001.
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