Johannesburg - Ekurhuleni Mayor Mondli Gungubele held talks with his Chinese counterpart Zhang Qingjun on Monday.
The talks were intended to create trade relations between the Chinese city of Hefei and Ekurhuleni; and included the possibility of twinning them, Gungubele's spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said in a statement.
Politicians and officials of both cities attended the meeting held in Ekurhuleni.
"Gungubele made it clear that Ekurhuleni will waste no time fostering ties with any city in the world that can add value to the success of the economy of the city, job creation, and poverty alleviation," he said.
Ekurhuleni was the first "Aerotropolis" in Africa and the manufacturing hub of the country. Thus, strategic partners were key to continued excellence those areas.
Hefei is the capital of Anhui Province in Eastern China. The city has over 7.5 million people, and is home to factories producing home appliances, such as televisions, fridges, and air conditioning units.
Hefei's car manufacturing sector produced about 500 000 vehicles a year, mainly for export to South America and South East Asia.