Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province and Nottingham in the United Kingdom signed the agreement of the five-year development plan to boost bilateral ties on Dec 6.

According to the agreement, the two cities will promote bilateral practical cooperation in such fields as government, economy, trade, culture, and people-to-people exchanges from 2021 to 2025.

At the government level, leaders of the two municipal governments are expected to maintain communication on issues of common concern. 

The two cities' international cooperation departments will have regular work exchanges and make joint efforts to host high-level exchange events between the two countries.

The two will also support business executives to receive training in each other's industrial parks or institutions of higher learning, while cementing links in fields including high-end equipment, new materials, biomedicine, and energy conservation.

Support will  be put in place to advance exchanges between the two cities in education, sports, and healthcare.

Ningbo and Nottingham have maintained close ties since the establishment of a sisterhood relationship between the two in 2005.

Li Guanding, vice mayor of Ningbo, noted that Ningbo greatly values its friendly relations with Nottingham.

He added that he hoped that the two cities will work together under the guidance of the new five-year plan and bring tangible benefits to residents of the two cities.