2009 POLICYMAKERS CHIEFS OF STAFF TRIP TO CHINA

In early April, the USCPF led a ten-day delegation of bipartisan congressional staff to China. Consisting primarily of Congressional Chiefs of Staff, the delegation was hosted in China by the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA). During their time in China, participants visited both the highly urbanized and economically developed cities of Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the rural provinces of Inner Mongolia and Gansu. Visits to diverse areas of China allowed delegates to witness the dramatic economic growth that has taken place in many of China’s municipalities, while also observing the significant demand for development that remains in China’s rural provinces.

In Beijing, the delegation met with representatives from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, the Chinese Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Commerce, and the National People’s Congress. In addition, they visited sites of cultural and historical importance such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. Following their time in Beijing, participants traveled to Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, and visited with local ethnic minorities and representatives of the local government. Next, the delegation continued on to Gansu province where they visited cultural sites in the cities of Jiayuguan and Dunhuang and met with members of the local government. In Shanghai, the final city visited during