The Second US-China Subnational Legislatures Cooperation Forum Opening in Wuhan
The Second US-China Subnational Legislatures Cooperation Forum was opened in Wuhan, Hubei Province, on September 25 with the joint hosts of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF) and the Standing Committee of Hubei Provincial People’s Congress.
The VIP guests attending the opening ceremony included Vice Chairman Arken Imirbaki of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Jiang Chaoliang, secretary of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of Hubei Provincial People’s Congress, CPAFFC President Li Xiaolin, SLLF President Stephen G. Lakis, as well as leaders from Standing Committees of eight Chinese Municipal and Provincial People’s Congress, and 16 legislative leaders from 12 states of the United States. Nearly 300 representatives from various sectors were present at the opening ceremony.
Vice Chairman Arken Imirbaki pointed out in his speech that, China and the United States shoulder significant responsibilities in maintaining the world peace and stability, as well as promoting global development and prosperity, while they also share wide-ranging common interests. The China-US subnational legislatures exchange mechanism has provided a good platform for both sides to strengthen dialogues, enhance mutual understanding and advance cooperation. He hoped that more subnational legislators from both countries would participate in this mechanism and share their experiences, in order to create a better law environment for the pragmatic cooperation in all fields between our two countries, and continuously deepen our friendly cooperation at subnational level.
Party Secretary Jiang Chaoliang extended his welcome on behalf of Hubei Province to all guests from home and abroad. He remarked that with distinctive characteristics of the times, the theme of the forum is in line with the fundamental interests of our two peoples, and hoped that the subnational legislatures from both countries would take this forum as an opportunity to implement in-depth exchanges, enhance mutual understanding and trust. He also aspired that Hubei Province would boost more pragmatic cooperation with different US states in broader sectors and higher levels, thus achieving mutual development.
President Li Xaiolin shared her views in her speech that the China-US relationship is the most dynamic and important bilateral relationship in the world. The subnational exchanges and cooperation including the legislative collaboration serve as important foundation for the development of the bilateral relationship. This forum will provide a platform for Chinese and American legislators to share views and form new ideas for subnational cooperation through the channel of legislation.
President Lakis held that the forum is an important platform for closer subnational exchanges between the two countries and that the SLLF remains committed to working together with CPAFFC to promote the US-China subnational legislative cooperation and contributing to the US-China relationship.
Themed on “For Closer Ties and Cooperation”, the representatives of the Second US-China Subnational Legislatures Cooperation Forum will carry out in-depth discussions on the topic of Bridging US and China through Infrastructure Cooperation, Big Data Technology and Technological Innovation, and Mississippi-Yangtze River Cooperation.
The US-China Subnational Legislatures Cooperation Forum was established in December 2015 as one of the results of President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the United States in September 2015. The forum aims at utilizing subnational legislatures to pragmatic cooperation between Chinese provinces and American states and to promote the healthy development of China-US relations at large. The first forum on the theme of Tourism Cooperation was held in Honolulu City of Hawaii State in the United States from June 25 to 26.
