By Dave Gatton and Carolyn Merryweather
August 5, 2002

The United States Conference of Mayors under the leadership of its Vice President, Hempstead (NY) Mayor James A. Garner, continued its initiative to build strong bilateral relations with the China Association of Mayors as the two organizations met for the Third U.S.-sino Mayors Summit on July 16-17 in Washington D.C.

The summit culminated in a Memorandum of Understanding to extend the Suzhou Accords, signed between the two organizations in June of 2000 when the U.S. Conference of Mayors sent its first official mayoral delegation to China. The new agreement calls for U.S. and Chinese mayors to meet annually to discuss trade, best practices and sustainable development that encourage environmental protection, economic growth, and human development. It also extends gratitude from the U.S. Conference of Mayors to the China Association of Mayors for their expressions of sympathy and condolences for the lives lost in the September 11 terrorist attacks on American cities. In addition, the memorandum calls on the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the China Association of Mayors to work with the tourism industry in both countries to expand travel.

The summit was sponsored by Benchmark Capital, Federal Express, Mortgage Bankers Association of America, Synagro, The China-U.S. Education Fund, The World Bank, USFilter, and the American Institute of Architects.

On Tuesday, July 16, the day prior to the summit, Mayor Garner led Madame Tao Siliang, Vice President of the China Association of Mayors and the Chinese delegates in meetings with senior officials from the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration, senior staff from the China Desk at the Department of State, and senior staff from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Following those meetings, the delegates met with Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (NY) who expressed her welcome to the delegates.

The Delegations

The Conference's U.S. delegation was led by Mayor Garner and included North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Henry Hays, Dearborn Mayor Michael A. Guido, Gary Mayor Scott L. King, and Fremont Mayor Gus Morrison. Representatives from the offices of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb were also present.

The China Association of Mayors- delegation was headed by Madame Tao and Yinchuan Mayor Hao Linhai as well as Wang Changyuan, Deputy Secretary General of the China Association of Mayors. It included Jilin City Vice Mayor Fu Shaoquing, Hefei City Vice Mayor Ni Hong, Ji-nan City Vice Mayor Wang Tianyi, Dongying City Vice Mayor Yan Junshan, Huangshi City Vice Mayor Lu Guoxiang, Xining City Vice Mayor Ma Shunqing, and Senior Advisor to the Beijing Municipal Government Du Deyin.

In his opening statements, Mayor Garner pledged to foster stronger relations between U.S. and Chinese cities to promote greater understanding and exchange of ideas on urban issues. "We are committed to achieving the objectives of the Suzhou Accords. "We believe that the peace and prosperity of the world will in larger measure depend on the bonds that develop between the world's cities," said Mayor Garner.

Madame Tao, a nationally known figure in China's cultural and political life, extended her gratitude to Mayor Garner and the Conference for hosting the delegation. In her opening remarks, she extended a formal invitation to Mayor Garner and the U.S. Conference of Mayors to return to China next year to continue the dialogue between the two organizations.

Madame Tao also referred to China's national rate of economic growth, which currently exceeds 7 percent. She also indicated that China would continue to advance its political system to make the necessary adjustments for entrance into the World Trade Organization. "We will never turn our backs from developing a market economy," she said.

The Chinese Embassy

At the evening reception at the Chinese Embassy on July 17, Ambassador Yang Jiechi welcomed Mayor Garner and the US mayors and gave his support for strengthening the ties between US and Chinese cities.

"This summit adds energy to our bilateral relations in the U.S. and China. It is an indispensable part of efforts to develop cooperative relations set forth by our two national leaders. We are behind you, you have our full support," First Minister Lan Lijun said.

The Summit

The delegates met for two mayoral and two entrepreneurial forums on July 17. Among the topics of discussion at the first mayoral forum on "Building an Economically Competitive City through Urban Planning and Sustainable Development" were preserving the historical legacy of cities and their natural beauty, diversity, tourism, and brownfield redevelopment as well as the benefits of public-private partnerships.

The second mayoral forum was titled "Creating a Livable City through Urban Planning and Sustainable Development." This forum focused on the need to develop new housing and commercial projects to help reduce the pressure of high-density population and buildings in downtown areas, education and infrastructure, attracting tourism through new facilities, and how cities must focus on their weaknesses before they can start building on their strengths.

Business Entrepreurs

Both delegations included business representatives who discussed their development activities in both countries. The U.S. delegation was joined by Nathan Lapkin of Benchmark Global Capital, Zhao Xiaoyuan from The China-U.S. Education Foundation, Jeff Williams, Managing Director for David L. Babson & Company, Gordon Chong, President of the American Institute of Architects, Paul Meschino of USFilter Operating Services, and Charles E. Samuels, Counsel to the U.S. Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.

The Chinese delegation included Eddy Chan, Regional Vice President in China for Federal Express, Qian Junfeng, General Manager of the Hefei Construction Development Company, Wang Aiquan, Chairman of the Yinchuan Company in the China Real Estate Group, Nie Renzheng, General Manager of Shadong Huatai Paper Industry Stock Company, Guo Chanyu, General Manager of Anhui Guotong High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, Liu Song, Director of the Investment Promotion Bureau of the Jilin High-tech Industry Development Zone, Li Jiaxiang, Manager of the Xining Santian Industry Group, Wang Xuning, Chairman of the Jinan Jiuyang Electric Machinery Company, and Zhang Jianli, Chairman of Shandong Xintong Broadband and Digital Communications.

The delegation left Washington on July 18 and traveled to Denver where it was met by Mayor Wellington Webb. It will continue on from Denver to Mexico City and Honolulu before returning to China.