Guadalajara in Mexico established a sister-city relationship with Xiamen on August 15, 2003.

Guadalajara was founded in 1531 and is the capital of Jalisco State and the second-largest city in Mexico with a population of 1.49 million. It is situated at the left bank of the Grand River at an altitude of 1,567 meters.

The city is ranked top ten in Latin America in terms of regional gross domestic product. It is an important industrial, commercial and financial center and is the transportation hub of West Mexico.

The city's economy relies heavily on the tourism sector, which accounts for about 60 percent of jobs in the city. Its main industries are in food, beverages, building materials, chemicals, metal processing and leather products.

The city has earned the reputation as the "Silicon Valley of Mexico," thanks to its electronics and information technology industry. Guadalajara is the main producer of software and electronic and digital components in Mexico. Telecom and computer equipment from Guadalajara accounts for around a quarter of Mexico's electronics exports.

Companies such as General Electric, IBM, Intel Corporation, Freescale Semiconductor, Hitachi Ltd., Hewlett-Packard, Siemens, Flextronics and Oracle have facilities in the city and surrounding areas.

Guadalajara encourages jointly-funded and small-sized enterprises. It provides them by offering preferential policies in terms of land and funding to support their development. It is a hot destination for foreign investment.