Kong Suting (R), deputy director of Xiamen's Foreign Affairs Office, meets with Abiru Hiroshi, chairman of the Xiamen Economic and Technological Exchange Institute in Sasebo, Japan, on Nov 21. [Photo/fao.xm.gov.cn]

A six-person delegation from the Xiamen Economic and Technological Exchange institute (XETEI) in Sasebo, Japan, visited Xiamen in East China's Fujian province from Nov 20 to 23.

Kong Suting, deputy director of Xiamen's Foreign Affairs Office, met with the delegation on Nov 21.

She thanked XETEI for helping Xiamen cultivate technological talents since its establishment in 1999, and said that these talents have not only helped advance Xiamen's economic and social development, but also played an important role in promoting economic exchange between Xiamen and Sasebo.

Song expressed hope that the two sides would take the 20th anniversary of their cooperation as an opportunity to expand economic exchange and introduce more high-quality economic cooperation projects.

Abiru Hiroshi, chairman of XETEI, said that economic cooperation is very important for both Xiamen and Sasebo.

Hiroshi also pointed out that Xiamen and Sasebo signed a memorandum last year on promoting economic exchanges, and companies from the two cities have already worked together to develop health products, which were marketed in Japan.

During their stay in Xiamen, the Japanese delegation also visited local manufacturers of healthcare equipment, including OGAWA and Youyang, to discuss further cooperation.

Sasebo originally established XETEI in an attempt to strengthen cooperation with Xiamen, and over the past 20 years, the institute has helped Xiamen cultivate 14 technology professionals.