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Friday, September 24, 2010

Rep. Jerry Chang at Tianjin's International Sister Cities Conference


State Representative Jerry Chang represented Hawaii this month at the 1st Round Table Conference of China's Tianjin International Sister Cities Conference.

On September 13, Rep. Chang addressed the Mayor Huang Xingguo, Chairman Xing Yanmin and other attendees. Here is an excerpt:

In 2002, I introduced - and the Hawaii State Legislature approved - legislation that established a sister-state relationship between Hawaii and Tianjin. The legislation was successful because of supportive testimony from people like Ms. Ivy Xu and many others.

Hawaii and Tianjin share many common goals and values. We both work towards achieving our economic and educational objectives in this new century. Because of this, the people of Hawaii desire to form a mutually beneficial relationship and to share our knowledge and experiences in order to better assist each other in reaching our goals.

We in Hawaii are also striving to diversify our economy by expanding into environmentally clean high-technology industries. This conference is timely in that Hawaii just hosted the 2010 Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo in Honolulu two weeks ago.

This year’s event celebrated Hawaii’s unique natural resources, as well as our state’s progress in embracing clean technologies and collaborative strategies for achieving energy independence. Hawaii has all the necessary components to lead the U. S. and other nations to a secure clean energy economy and sustainable future.

This year’s program had over 130 speakers, including Zhou Fenqi, senior advisor and former director general of the Energy Research Institute of the the National Development and Reform Commission of China. The guest speakers shared their expertise and insight on state, national and international clean technology and policy trends.


It was at this summit that I learned of Tianjin being a prospective first city picked to establish a Low-carbon Model City in an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trial. I congratulate you and look forward to your progress.

I would like to invite you to Hawaii for next year’s 2011 Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit, which will be held in September 2011, to learn of the latest clean technology and policy trends as well as enjoy the beautiful Hawaiian Islands and special Aloha spirit and culture.

I have personally been a frequent visitor to Tianjin. This is my 5th visit here, and I always enjoy your hospitality and friendly people. I am looking forward to meeting with all of you as we participate in the planned activities and discussions to strengthen our friendships as well as work toward a clean energy economy to preserve our precious natural resources.

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