NGA Winter Meeting 2011

From February 25-28, Hunan Province Party Secretary Zhou Qiang visited Washington, DC to attend the National Governors Association (NGA) Winter Meeting. Secretary Zhou's visit is the first by a Chinese provincial leader under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by Secretary Hillary Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in January concerning the establishment of a U.S.-China Governors Forum to promote subnational cooperation.

At the NGA winter meeting, Party Secretary Zhou delivered remarks during the Opening Plenary Session and met with the Governors of the states of Washington, Delaware, North Carolina, Utah, Nebraska, and Montana. Each of the Governors expressed his or her desire to expand relations with China and with Hunan Province in particular. Party Secretary Zhou and Mme. Li Xiaolin, Vice President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), also spoke with the Governors and NGA leadership about planning for the launch of the U.S.-China Governors Forum in July 2011.