Senator Murray:

"Three years ago Senator Daniel Inouye and Senator Ted Stevens on a bipartisan basis began discussions with their Chinese Counterparts to have a better dialogue on issues that affect the United States and China. Those discussions led to the beginning of an Interparliamentary Conference where members of the United States Senate and leaders of the Chinese Parliament would meet to talk about critical issues of the day."

"I was fortunate to be asked by Senators Inouye and Stevens to join them this year in China for the 3rd formal discussions as the U.S. China Interparliamentary Council met. Our state has a long and unique history with China that is valued on both sides. Following the normalization of relations between our two countries, the first cargo ship from China came to Washington State to formalize a new era. I felt this would be an excellent opportunity to continue a dialogue with Chinese officials on issues important to Washington State, so I readily agreed to join the United States Delegation.

Read More About My Trip

Wednesday, August 9, 2006

---