On September 26, Gov. Gregoire met with Sichuan Provincial Committee President Ms. Qin Yuqin and her delegation. Washington and Sichuan Province in southwest China celebrated 25 years of official relaions. Shortly after the meeting, State Senators Paull Shin, Pam Roach and Jim Kastama, Rep. Barbara Bailey, and I had lunch with the delegation. Sichuan is a key Chinese agriculture and minerals providence, is home to 87 million people, and in a geographic area four times larger than Washington state. During our conversations, the president made it clear she wants to encourage Washington state investments in her province. The Chinese, like early American settlers, want investments moving west. Among Ms. Qin Yuqin's delegates were Jiao Weixia, director general, Sichuan provincial investment promotion bureau; Ms Wu Yanxiang, Weixia's deputy director; and, Ma Ping, director general Sichuan provincial agricultural machinery bureau.
Often we think of China as one big country. It has the world's largest population and its land mass is slightly larger than the United States. China has 22 provinces and, like the United States, as you move west, the geographic areas grow larger.
Finually, President Qin Yupin extended an invitation to visit Sichuan and further develop economic ties. We'll explore the possibilities.
