国内英语新闻:Belgrade marks 30 years of sister cities relation with Beijing

BELGRADE, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Celebrating 30 years of cooperation and fraternal relations between the capitals of Serbia and China, an art exhibit entitled "The Beauty of Beijing" was opened in the Old Palace in Belgrade on Tuesday.

Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas extended a welcome to the visiting Beijing delegation, underscoring years of cooperation and cultural exchanges.

"For us the bridge we are going to build together is important, along with our cultural components which will complement our desire for Belgrade in 2020 to be the European 'cultural capital'," said Djilas, making reference to the 1,507-meter bridge over the Danube River to be constructed by Chinese firms. The total value of the contract is 170 million Euros and its completion date is 2013.

The original cooperation agreement between Beijing and Belgrade was signed in October 1980, with the aim of boosting cooperation in the fields of economics, urban planning, utilities, health, education, culture, tourism and sport.

Ma Zhipeng, senior advisor to the city of Beijing, said cooperation between the twin cities has been expanding over the last three decades.

He said the art exhibit, with its 50 paintings divided into four thematic sections, would allow the citizens of Belgrade to become more familiar with the Chinese capital.

"On the occasion of the festive celebrations, in addition to the exhibition, the Belgrade Chamber of Commerce and Beijing signed an agreement on cooperation, which will provide a platform for economic cooperation between the two cities," said Ma.

In addition to the art exhibit, the Orchestra "Huaxia" performed a collection of classic Chinese musical pieces with traditional instruments.