By Geri Powell, Sue Fredeen, and Kay Scrimger
June 19, 2006

The Conference of Mayors three top officers – President Long Beach Mayor Beverly O’Neill, Vice President Dearborn Mayor Michael A. Guido, and Advisory Board Chair Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer – and Mayors Business Council Chair Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman, Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, and Conference Executive Director Tom Cochran welcomed China Association of Mayors President Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan and his mayoral delegation June 2 to the 74th Annual Conference of Mayors.

O’Neill said, “We are delighted that you were able to accept our invitation to come to Las Vegas. All U.S. mayors relate well to you, not only because you are mayor of Beijing but also because you are President of the China Association of Mayors.”

The U.S. mayors and Cochran worked with Wang and his delegation on plans for the Fifth Sino-U.S. Mayoral Summit. Expressing great appreciation to Conference Past President Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, they accepted his invitation to hold it in Chicago in the Spring of 2007.

Wang emphasized the importance of mayor-to-mayor cooperation between nations: “Mayors are the major carriers of relationships between countries. Even though we have different systems, we face common challenges and can share our experience to great benefit.

“Exchanges are also a platform between countries for business attraction and development. The theme of trade and economic cooperation in the next Summit will stimulate discussion and exchange of views,” he said.

Both U.S. and Chinese mayors spoke briefly about their cities. Guido noted his participation in two of the previous Sino-U.S. Mayors Summits (2000 and 2005).

Deputy Mayor Xie Yanzhi, Lhasa, Tibet, described his city as “…famous and strange, but still very poor. Lhasa has 3,000 years of culture. Its social stability looks promising, and there is steady growth.”

Kautz said she learned a great deal about economic development and how to make cities more livable during her visit to China for the 2005 Summit.

Cochran expressed thanks to Wang, members of his delegation, and to the China Association of Mayors. “We appreciate the invitation from our Past President Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley to host the Summit in his city, and we look forward to a productive period of planning with our counterparts at the China Association of Mayors for a productive Fifth Sino-U.S. Mayors Summit,” Cochran said.

Mayors Business Council Steering Committee Co-Chair Preston V. Lee, Jr., Director, Corporate Relations and Housing Outreach, Freddie Mac, and Mayors Business Council Managing Director Geri Powell also participated in the meeting.

The Conference of Mayors and the China Association of Mayors began working together in the late 1990’s. Summits have been held in 2000 in China, 2001 and 2003 in the United States, and 2005 in China.

For more information, contact Tom Cochran at tcochran@usmayors.org or Kay Scrimger on his staff at kscrimger@usmayors.org.