Sister city since: November 8, 2011

Overview

Ashdod is in the south of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, 32 kilometers from Tel Aviv and 53 kilometers from Jerusalem. With an area of 48 square kilometers and a population of about 250,000, Ashdod has replaced the port of Jaffa as the second largest port and is now the fifth largest city in Israel. It is also an important industrial city in the country.

Relations with Wuhan

Between 2009 and 2018, government officials and business representatives from Wuhan and Ashdod have visited each other several times. Delegations of Ashdod visited Wuhan Commerce Bureau, Culture and Tourism Bureau, Environment Protection Bureau, Housing Bureau, Wuhan New Port, Wuhan National Bio-Industry Base, and Wuhan Institute of Business Services. Delegations from Wuhan visited Ashdod City Hall, Yuvali Water Company, and Ashdod Port Group to discuss the cooperation in sister city relationship, port construction, environmental protection, culture, and business.

Ashdod Port and Wuhan New Port reached a consensus on signing a friendly port agreement. Canarious signed a memorandum with Hi-Tech Agri Group, which is based in the East Lake Technology Development Zone’s bio-industrial base, to set up a R&D center and production base for water pollution detectors in Wuhan. Gloubus Logistics and Wuhan Haitian Group also conducted cooperation in logistics.

The two cities also reached consensus in launching special editions of tourism magazines, holding tourism promotion events, conducting cooperation in water resources conservation and sewage treatment, and building science and technology industrial parks.

In January 2020 when Wuhan was hit by Covid-19, Mayor of Ashdod sent a letter of sympathy to Wuhan immediately. On April 23, Wuhan Foreign Affairs Office together with representatives from Wuhan Municipal Health Commission and experts from Jinyintan Hospital held a video conference with their counterparts from Ashdod Hospital to share useful information and experience in fighting the virus.