Li Yingjin, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress, Attends the 4th US-China Subnational Legislatures Cooperation Forum

From November 12 to 13, the 4th US-China Subnational Legislatures Cooperation Forum hosted by the CPAFFC, the State Legislative Leaders Foundation and Hebei Province was held in Shijiazhuang. Padma Choling, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress attended and addressed the forum. Wang Dongfeng, secretary of Hebei Provincial Committee of the CPC and chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Hebei Province, Li Xiaolin, president of the CPAFFC, Terry Branstad, American ambassador to China and Stephen Lakis, chairman of the State Legislative Leaders Foundation attended and addressed the opening ceremony. Li Yingjin, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress and leaders from Standing Committees of the People’s Congress from 16 provinces (cities, autonomous regions) across the country as well as leaders from 10 states including New York, California and Alabama, totaling 350 people attended the forum.

Themed on “shared visions and shared responsibilities”, this forum engaged the representatives present in in-depth discussion and active exchanges on topics including challenges and responsibilities, environment and governance, transformation and upgrading, education and future. Vice chairman Li Yingjin introduced the economic and social development and local legislative work in Beijing in a speech titled “giving full play to the functions of NPC to promote industrial transformation and economic and social development in Beijing”. According to him, Beijing will implement the national strategy of coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Beijing Municipal Master Plan, and adhere to the development in an innovative and scientific way. Taking the forum as an opportunity, the NPC will contribute its power to the mutual learning and practical cooperation in China-America subnational legislation and economic and social development. Targeting the promotion of meticulous management, public participation and the rule of law, the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress will earnestly perform responsibilities and provide more solid democracy and the rule of law guarantee for the reform and development in Beijing. At the new starting point, the in-depth cooperation with the State Legislative Leaders Foundation and state assemblies in the America will contribute greatly to the cooperation in terms of economic and social development and local legislation in China and America.

During the forum, vice chairman Li Yingjin had one-on-one talk with Stephen Lakis, chairman of the State Legislative Leaders Foundation, and Felix Ortiz, assistant speaker of the New York State Assembly respectively. Li Yingjin also had extensive exchanges with speakers of state assemblies in America and party leaders during the forum.

US-China Subnational Legislatures Cooperation Forum is an important China-America local exchange mechanism established to implement the important results during President Xi Jinping’s visit to America in September 2015. The CPAFFC formally entered into mechanism-based agreement with the State Legislative Leaders Foundation in December 2015. The past forums with successful results obtained high recognition and favorable reception of China and America, built new platform for US-China subnational exchange and played a positive role in promoting practical cooperation and relationship between the two counties. At the closing ceremony of the forum, “US-China Subnational Legislatures Cooperation Shijiazhuang Manifesto” was released and the fifth forum is declared to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana in 2020.

As the first US-China Subnational Legislatures Cooperation Forum attended by the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress, this forum opens up the mechanism-based exchange and cooperation between Beijing and American state assemblies. Sun Jie, member of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress, director general of Ethnic, Religious, Overseas Chinese and Foreign Affairs Committee, Zhu Qiuzheng, deputy secretary-general of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, Hong Jiyuan, deputy director general of Office of Finance and Economics of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress and Zhang Qian, executive vice president of the BPAFFC, attended the forum and meeting.