The twinning of Cork and Shanghai has been hailed by Cork Lord Mayor Cllr Seán Martin as an important development that will lead to greater economic benefits and closer cultural ties between both cities.
Yesterday's twinning ceremony was not without controversy, however, as four members of Cork City Council joined a protest outside Cork City Hall to highlight human rights abuses in China.
Mr Martin said Cork and Shanghai shared a second-city status while they were also port cities which had developed dramatically over the last 10 years and were both eager to develop further.
"Today, after much preparation, we mark the beginning of a new friendship between two peoples who are geographically separated but who share a common vision of a prosperous and fulfilling future for themselves, their families and their friends."
The signing of the sister city agreement would help develop strong links in culture, trade, business, tourism and education.
The mayor's views on the benefits of the sister city agreement were echoed by the chairman of the standing committee of the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress, Gong Xue Ping, who said Cork could become a major gateway to Europe for Chinese visitors and products. Shanghai, he said, had made great economic strides in the past 10 years but he believed the city could learn from Cork, which had been to the forefront of software technology and pharmaceutical development in Ireland.
Among those protesting outside the ceremony was Falun Gong practitioner Zhao Ming (30), a native of Beijing who was imprisoned for almost two years and tortured with electric shocks by the Chinese authorities when he returned to Beijing in 2000 for a holiday after studying in Dublin.
"Of course for two countries to show friendship for each other is good but they are coming here as if nothing is happening. That is not the case - more than 2,000 death cases have been recorded among Falun Gong practitioners in the labour camps and prisons in recent years."
The Green Party's Cllr Chris O'Leary strongly condemned Cork City Council for arranging the twinning.
"The regime in China is very intolerant of those who practise different religion, those who have HIV, anybody who is outspoken, the right of people to associate - and here we are signing a twinning arrangement with a Chinese city. I think it sends out the entirely wrong signal," he said.
