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lthough Bangalore is often dubbed the Silicon Valley of India while Bandung in West Java is strongly associated with creativity, the administrations of the two cities, believing that they have more in common than meets the eye, are looking to strengthen ties as sister cities.

India had expressed interest in having Bandung and Bangalore collaborate as sister cities, Indian Ambassador to Indonesia Pradeep Kumar Rawat said.

The two cities had many things in common in terms of information technology development, he said.

“Bandung had so many startups [and] IT talents. There were so many things in common [between the two cities]. Bangalore was the Silicon Valley of India. IT talents from Bangalore and Bandung could work together,” he said in his speech during India Cultural Week in Bandung on Sunday.

Bangalore, a megacity with more than 10 million people and the third most populated city in India, is known as an information technology hub for companies in the country.

Responding to the proposal, Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil welcomed the idea, saying he hoped it could be cemented this year.

Bandung, a prominent Indonesian city best known for its tourism and creativity, hosted in 2015 a commemoration of the Asia-Africa Conference in 1955, an event attended by representatives of India.

Ridwan said, under the sister city agreement, he hoped that Bandung and Bangalore could collaborate in information technology.

He explained that Bandung had launched 394 smartphone applications centered on boosting civil servant performance. His administration had also signed an agreement with 29 regencies and municipalities as well as three provinces related to Smart City and e-government programs and applications that highlight project transparency.

Under the sister city agreement, cooperation is established between cities that have similar characteristics or face similar challenges. Bandung’s first sister city agreement was made in 1960 with Braunschweig, Germany, according to the administration’s official website. Today, the West Java capital is also sister cities with Fort Worth, Texas, the United States; Suwon, South Korea; Shenzen, China; Petaling Jaya, Malaysia; Hamamatsu, Japan; Namur, Belgium; Cotabato, the Philippines; and Cuenca, Ecuador.

The India Cultural Week event, held during New Year’s celebrations in the city, also aimed at encouraging cooperation under Asia-Africa values, Ridwan added.

“The Bandung administration wanted to celebrate the New Year with a spirit of solidarity. So this year, we [celebrated] it with India, and next year it could be with other countries from Asia and Africa,” he said.

In addition to the sister city proposal, Bandung and India also agreed to explore opportunities in the economy, culture, tourism and education.