On October 21, 2025, President Yang Wanming of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) met with Rob Wagner, President of the Oregon State Senate, and his delegation at the CPAFFC.
President Yang Wanming extended a warm welcome to President Rob Wagner and his delegation to China, noting that Oregon has consistently been at the forefront of subnational exchanges between China and the United States. Over the years, the state has maintained close and productive relations with its sister provinces and cities in China, including Fujian Province and Tianjin Municipality. The Oregon State Senate recently passed a resolution to promote friendship with China and has revitalized the Oregon China Sister State Relations Committee. This visit, led by President Rob Wagner—the first by a U.S. state senate president to China since the COVID-19 pandemic—spanning ten Chinese cities, highlights Oregon's deep commitment and ongoing efforts to strengthen friendship and cooperation with China, injecting new momentum into subnational exchanges between the two countries.
President Yang emphasized that, despite the current challenges in China-U.S. relations, there remains a strong desire for engagement at the subnational level, with tremendous potential for cooperation. The CPAFFC has long been dedicated to facilitating practical cooperation platforms for subnational governments, people-to-people exchanges, and youth interactions between China and the United States. Later this month, the 7th China-U.S. Sister Cities Conference will be held in Hangzhou, which has received enthusiastic registrations and active participation from both sides. President Yang expressed hope that President Rob Wagner would share valuable insights on sister-city cooperation at the conference, contributing to mutual understanding, strengthening the foundation of friendship, and deepening cooperation across various fields.
President Rob Wagner expressed his gratitude to the CPAFFC for the warm reception extended to the delegation. He noted that Oregon has a long and rich history of exchanges with China, and that the Oregon State Legislature is the only state legislature in the U.S. to have formally established the development of a friendly relationship with China through legislation. He remarked that this visit would further deepen exchanges between Oregon and various regions of China, creating new opportunities for cooperation across a wide range of fields.
Shen Xin, Vice President of the CPAFFC and Sun Tao, Director-General of the Department of American and Oceanian Affairs of the CPAFFC, were present at the meeting.
