CHINA: Senator Murray to Lead Congressional Delegation Trip to China

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(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chairman of the United State-China Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG), announced today that she will lead a four-day Congressional Delegation trip to China from Tuesday, January 12th through Friday, January 15th.  The trip will include a series of meetings and conferences with Chinese leaders, including many top members of the National People’s Congress (NPC), focusing on bilateral relations between the two nations on issues including trade, international security, human rights and energy.

“This exchange is an opportunity to build on a relationship that will be critical to our state and nation in the 21st Century,” Murray said. “In ways big and small, Washington state’s economy, businesses, farmers, and communities are all impacted by the decisions being made by leaders in China. That’s why we need to ensure that our state’s voice is heard as they continue to play a larger role on the world stage. During this trip I will continue my work to improve market access for our farmers, correct trade imbalances that hurt our businesses, stand up for intellectual property protections, discuss the promise of clean energy, and work to build areas of cooperation and enhance dialogue.”

On October 8th, 2009, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid appointed Senator Murray to chair the IPG because of her “long history of working for stronger trade and intergovernmental relations with China.” The IPG is the official dialogue mechanism between the US Senate and the Chinese government. This will be Senator Murray’s first trip to China as Chair of the IPG. In 2006, Senator Murray took part in an IPG trip to China – Read about Senator Murray’s 2006 trip to China.



Next week’s bi-partisan IPG trip will also include the Vice-Chairman of the IPG, Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-MO) and Senator Roland Burris (D-IL).  The trip will include stops in Beijing and Shanghai.

For more information on this trip please contact Senator Murray’s Press Office at 202-224-2834.