China Day 4

All the delegates attended the Mayors Round Table.  Mr. Ping, 1st V. Mayor of Chengdu proposed that economic and trading exchanges be established.  He said forums and exhibitions between the Sister Cities be should be planned and the Sister Cities should send students, artists and scholars to each other's cities.  Mr. Ping said he would like to see the Sister Cities share experience in management and emergency management as well as environmental consumption.

Fruitful Exchanges Between Sister Cities of Chengdu-Sanshierli

In this photo Phoenix City Councileman Michael Johnson is second from left, front row.  A few representatives gave presentations describing their cities as well as commenting on the economic conditions and in particular their city's relationship with Chengdu.  Mr. Ciaran Byrne of Fingal, Ireland said Ireland has had three years of economic trouble domestically but the export business has been strong.  Ms. Lisa Scaffidi, Lord Mayor of Perth, said Perth is considered the 8th most livable city in the world.  She sees the Sister Cities fostering friendship and making connections between the cities.  The representative from Edmonton wants to share his cities environmental management experience.  Edmonton boasts the largest recycling facility in North America. Representative of Montpellier, France, reported on the Montpellier medical school that has a chinese herbal medical program.  Mr. Jacek
Ossowski of Wroclaw, Poland would like to see new product and financial  alliances between the cities. The representative of Haifa, Israel said, "The invention of the cell phone, fax, and electronic mail have all changed the world overnight and we must change also."  The representative of Adelaide, Australia said his city has a special connection to China and specifically Chengdu as it is known as the Panda City.  And the last of the morning's round table discussion was the representative of Linz, Austria, he said that the "twinning"  of the two cities was good for the "common" people.


Mr. Bai Gang, V. Mayor of Chengdu, lead the afternoon's Business Forum.  He said the World Bank considers Chengdu the best investment in China and the city is making efforts to continue that reputation.  There are 49 universities and has the lowest "brain drain" statistics.   Some of the foreign companies include: Intel, Dell, Volkswagon, and Volvo.  Aerospace and energy companies are moving to Chengdu.  It is rated good for Intellectual property protection.  There are nine foreign consulates located in Chengdu.


Representatives of five of the Sister Cities presented the economic state and interests of their city.  Surapol Saipan, Governor of Ubon, Thailand; Jean-Pol Olbrechts, V. Governor, Flemish Brabant Province, Belgium; Ernst Inquart, V. Mayor, Linz Austria; B.J. Zhuang of Perth, Australia; and P.J. Howell pf Fingal, Ireland.


The first part of the architecture round table, local Chengdu architects and planners made presentations on the planning and building industry in and around Chengdu.  Architects, designers, engineers and planners from several of the Sister Cities described their own work and what they considered the possibilities of collaborating with their Chengdu counterparts.

This evening's dinner and entertainment was at Happy Valley Park:

OCT Theater - "Paradise Ethos"

Spectacular show!  Ten scenes, divided into three chapters, depicting life, history, culture, and flavor, of Sichuan.  The staging, lighting, acting, and costumes were absolutely stunning.