July 31, 2015
PDC welcomed a delegation of 20-plus party secretaries and mayors from China’s Zhejiang Province in July for a three-day study tour of sustainable urban development. The group was part of the Mayors Training Initiative sponsored by the Paulson Institute, a Chicago-based think tank focused on complementary work between the U.S. and China to promote cross-border investment and environmental preservation in both countries through programs, advocacy and research.
The Portland tour included the Pearl District, Central East Side, South Waterfront and Metro’s trash facility. The Pearl District especially sparked the interest of Li Yifei, the party secretary of Yiwu, home to the largest inland port in China and the beginning location for the largest railroad in the world, the Yiwu-Madrin line dubbed the “New Silk Road.” Secretary Li, the highest ranking person on the tour, invited PDC to visit Yiwu, an industrial city in eastern China, to continue the dialogue about a project there.
