Cork City received a major prestigious award from the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government in Shanghai today. Mayor of Shanghai, Ying Yong, made Pat Ledwidge, Director of Strategic Planning and Economic Development with Cork City Council, a Laureate of the Gold Magnolia Award at City Hall in People’s Square Shanghai. The award recognised his contribution to the development of Shanghai under the auspices of the Shanghai Cork Sister City Agreement.
Mr. Ledwidge is one of ten recipients of the Gold Magnolia Award in 2018 and is the only recipient from Europe. The Shanghai Municipal People’s Government conferred a further honour on Cork as it requested Mr. Ledwidge to make the acceptance speech on behalf of all ten recipients of the Gold Medal Award.
In his speech Mr. Ledwidge thanked Mayor Ying, who visited Cork in July 2017, and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government for bestowing the award on the ten recipients. He said: “For my part, I am conscious that I receive this award on behalf of my colleagues in Cork City Council and of the citizens of Cork who have steadfastly supported the development of Cork’s relationship with Shanghai.”
He also added: “The purpose of Cork’s relationship with Shanghai is to bring benefits to the citizens of each city. For Shanghai to become an extraordinary global city, its focus must also be on issues that greatly concern citizens, such as education, health, recreation and public service provision. Cork already has a very productive range of co-operations in these areas with Shanghai and we will continue to build on them into the future together.”
Mr. Ledwidge stressed the importance of the link to Shanghai: “It is vital that, as the world grows smaller and opinions appear to be more polarised, we use all channels at our disposal to break down barriers and open opportunities. This is especially important for a small city like Cork in a small country like Ireland. We all hope to continue to deepen this understanding and co-operation into the future.”
The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Mick Finn welcomed the award as evidence of Cork’s, and Ireland’s, growing positive reputation in both China and the important East Asia region. He said; “It is important to continue to development these international connections in the environment of Brexit and other international uncertainties. This is the third major Award that Cork has received in China in the past four years. Mr. Ledwidge received the Silver Magnolia Award in 2014 in Shanghai and Cork received the Friendship City Award for Exchanges and Cooperation with China from the Chinese Government in 2016.”
The Lord Mayor also said that this positive recognition for Cork From one of the world’s premier global cities was positive preparation for his own visit to Wuxi and Shanghai in late October where he will speak at major conferences in each city.
Cork City Council Chief Executive, Ann Doherty, who was present at the ceremony, said it was fantastic recognition for Cork and Ireland China’s powerhouse Shanghai. She referenced the substantial and widely based nature of the Shanghai Cork bilateral exchanges and revealed that she has been invited to make a keynote speech on innovation ecosystems at the prestigious Pujiang Forum in Shanghai on 31 October next.
Whilst in Shanghai, Ms. Doherty and Mr. Ledwidge held meetings with the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government on the development of future project in the context of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the impending 40th Anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and Ireland in 1979.
