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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor recognizes the 10-year
11 relationship between the state of Utah and Liaoning, China.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This resolution:
14 ▸ recognizes the 10-year relationship between the state of Utah and Liaoning, China;
15 ▸ expresses the appreciation of the state of Utah to the people and leaders of Liaoning
16 Province for their efforts to strengthen and maintain the bonds of goodwill between
17 Liaoning Province and the state of Utah; and
18 ▸ renews the relationship between the state of Utah and Liaoning, China, and
19 expresses expectation for continued friendship and deepening partnership in
20 tourism, trade, science, and education, as well as legislative and cultural exchange.
21 Special Clauses:
22 None
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24 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
25 WHEREAS, in January 2006, the Liaoning Provincial Congress sent its first delegation
26 to Utah;
27 WHEREAS, the delegation was jointly led by Director General Li Huizhen and Deputy
28 Director General Yang Shuhuai of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Liaoning Provincial
29 Congress;
30 WHEREAS, during the delegation's visit, the initial draft of an agreement on legislative
31 exchanges and cooperation between the Legislature of the state of Utah and the Liaoning
32 Provincial Congress was discussed and signed by the leaders of the delegation and the majority
33 leaders of the Utah State Senate and the Utah House of Representatives;
34 WHEREAS, in February 2006, the official agreement was signed by Standing Vice
35 Chairman Zhang Xilin of the Liaoning Provincial Congress, Utah State Senate President John
36 Valentine, and Speaker of the Utah House of Representatives Greg Curtis;
37 WHEREAS, the signing of the official agreement opened a special channel between
38 Utah and Liaoning, China;
39 WHEREAS, during the past 10 years, Utah and Liaoning, China, have jointly
40 participated in many activities;
41 WHEREAS, in July 2007, a Utah legislative delegation of 25 members, led jointly by
42 Senate Majority Leader Curtis Bramble and House Majority Leader David Clark, visited
43 Liaoning;
44 WHEREAS, Liaoning also arranged a meeting with National Congress leaders in
45 Beijing;
46 WHEREAS, as a result of the 2007 visit to Liaoning, Senator Howard Stephenson
47 introduced S.B. 41, International Educational Initiative - Critical Languages Program, that
48 established a pilot program for school districts and schools to initiate participation in the Dual
49 Language Immersion Program, including the Chinese language;
50 WHEREAS, today, 20% of all United States grade schools with English-Chinese
51 immersion programs are Utah schools;
52 WHEREAS, in September 2009, a legislative delegation, led by Director General Li
53 Xiaoping of the Rules and the Laws Committee of the Liaoning Provincial Congress, followed
54 by a large trade delegation led by Vice Chairman Wang Zhuan of the Liaoning Provincial
55 Congress, visited Utah;
56 WHEREAS, in November 2009, Senator John Valentine and his wife visited Liaoning;
57 WHEREAS, in August 2010, a legislative delegation led by Standing Vice Chairman
58 Yan Feng of the Liaoning Provincial Congress visited Utah;
59 WHEREAS, in November 2010, another business delegation, accompanied by Liaoning
60 Provincial Congress representative Xu Wei, visited Utah;
61 WHEREAS, in early 2011, Utah business representatives visited Liaoning;
62 WHEREAS, in April 2011, Senator Curtis Bramble and his wife visited Liaoning and
63 on a separate trip Brett Heimburger, Special Representative of Utah Governor Gary Herbert,
64 also visited Liaoning;
65 WHEREAS, in November 2011, a Liaoning government delegation led by Director
66 General Wu Zhongqiong of the Liaoning Provincial Department of Science and Technology
67 visited Utah;
68 WHEREAS, in September 2013, a Utah legislative delegation of 20 members, jointly
69 led by Senate President Wayne Niederhauser and House Speaker Rebecca Lockhart, visited
70 Liaoning and also met with national leaders in Beijing;
71 WHEREAS, in December 2013, a Liaoning legislative delegation led by Vice
72 Chairman Liu Zhengkui of the Liaoning Provincial Congress visited Utah;
73 WHEREAS, with help from the state of Utah, the Liaoning legislative delegation also
74 met with Utah Congressman Chris Stewart in Washington, D.C.;
75 WHEREAS, in June 2014, the Utah Legislature passed a special citation
76 commemorating the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the
77 United States and China and the 8th anniversary of the Utah-Liaoning legislative relationship;
78 WHEREAS, at the invitation of the state of Utah, the Chinese Embassy in Washington,
79 D.C., sent officials to Utah to participate in the proceedings;
80 WHEREAS, in July 2015, with the help of the state of Utah, a Liaoning delegation led
81 by Vice Chairman Li Wenke of the Liaoning Provincial Congress met with Utah Congressman
82 Jason Chaffetz while visiting Washington, D.C.;
83 WHEREAS, in August 2015, a Utah legislative delegation of 11 members, jointly led
84 by Senate President Wayne Niederhauser and House Speaker Greg Hughes, visited Liaoning
85 and also met with national leaders in Beijing;
86 WHEREAS, in November 2015, President Pro Tempore of the Utah State Senate Curtis
87 Bramble led a National Conference of State Legislatures delegation on a visit to Liaoning;
88 WHEREAS, in February 2016, the state of Utah and Liaoning Province will be jointly
89 commemorating and celebrating the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the great
90 relationship between Utah and Liaoning;
91 WHEREAS, a Liaoning Provincial Congress delegation, a Liaoning Provincial
92 Government delegation, a Liaoning Provincial Economic and Trade delegation, and numerous
93 city and county delegations throughout Liaoning Province, with Vice Chairman Tong Zhiwu of
94 the Liaoning Provincial Congress as the head of the mission, will be visiting Utah;
95 WHEREAS, agreements will be signed between Utah and Liaoning in the areas of
96 education, tourism, and economic cooperation and trade;
97 WHEREAS, the official legislative relationship between Utah and Liaoning is the only
98 one of its kind between the United States and China;
99 WHEREAS, the establishment of the legislative relationship between Utah and
100 Liaoning has opened a significant channel for people, businesses, and education organizations
101 to conduct exchanges and cooperation; and
102 WHEREAS, the legislative relationship has benefitted businesses, schools, and the
103 people of Utah and Liaoning:
104 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
105 Governor concurring therein, recognizes the 10-year relationship between the state of Utah and
106 Liaoning, China.
107 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor express
108 appreciation to the people and leaders of Liaoning, China, for their efforts to strengthen and
109 maintain the bonds of goodwill between Liaoning and the state of Utah.
110 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor renew the
111 relationship between the state of Utah and Liaoning, China, and express expectations for
112 continued friendship and deepening partnership in tourism, trade, science, and education, as
113 well as legislative and cultural exchange.
114 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Liaoning
115 Provincial Congress, John Valentine, Greg Curtis, David Clark, Brett Heimburger, Stan
116 Lockhart, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Utah Chamber of Commerce,
117 World Trade Center Utah, the Governor's Office of Economic Development, the Utah State
118 Board of Education, and the members of Utah's congressional delegation.
Legislative Review Note
Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel