Massimiliano de Martin (third from right), deputy mayor of Venice, tours the joint factory of Sipa and Zoppas in Jiaxing. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_dce4a5933cde]

A delegation led by Massimiliano de Martin, deputy mayor of Venice, Italy, visited Jiaxing in East China's Zhejiang province on Oct 20 to explore new opportunities for cooperation between the two sides.

With its rich heritage of Jiangnan — referring to the southern regions of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River — and remarkable modern development, Jiaxing shares many similarities with Venice in waterway culture and tourism resources. The discussion emphasized collaboration in advanced manufacturing, cultural tourism, and heritage protection to turn shared interests into practical outcomes.

De Martin expressed appreciation for the warm welcome and noted his deep impression of Jiaxing’s water-town charm. He said Venice, as a world-renowned city built on water, has accumulated valuable experience in cultural preservation and tourism management. He looked forward to building stronger partnerships between the two cities, using water culture as a bridge to foster mutual learning and joint development.

During the visit, the delegation toured Wuzhen town and inspected the joint factory of Sipa and Zoppas, gaining further insight into Jiaxing's industrial and cultural landscape.