Sister province since: November 8, 2007

Overview

El Oro is the southernmost of Ecuador’s coastal provinces. It covers an area of 5,850 square kilometers and has a population of 520,000. Machala is the capital. El Oro is an important gold producing area historically. Today it is one of the country’s major exporters of bananas, among other produce.

Relations with Hubei

In June 2007, at the invitation of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, a joint delegation of Latin American governors visited Hubei. The delegation was led by Reyes, the Governor of El Oro. During the visit, a memorandum on friendly cooperation was signed between Hubei and El Oro. In November, Hu Yongji, then Vice Chairman of the CPPCC Hubei Provincial Committee, led a delegation to Uruguay. On November 8, Hu Yongji and Reyes formally signed an agreement to establish sister relations between Hubei and El Oro.

In February 2012, Zhang Tong, then Vice Governor of Hubei, led a delegation to Ecuador. Zhang had a working meeting with Reyes. The two sides talked about exchanges and cooperation in high-yield hybrid rice and infrastructure building.