SALT LAKE CITY - Luo Huining, governor of China's Qinghai province, and Gary Herbert, governor of Utah, signed an agreement on Wednesday in Utah's capital to cement the two regions' relationship.

By forging an "eco-partnership" and sealing deals of exchanges between universities in Qinghai and Utah, the two regions pledged to contribute to "improving the global environment, while collaborating on joint innovation opportunities that will foster economic development and better cultural understanding", Utah Gov Herbert said during the signing ceremony.

Luo noted that the two regions' relationship is built on their similarities. Both are located in the western region of their respective countries, he said, and both have great salt lakes to rely on for natural resources.

Above all, "we share the common goal for green development", Luo said.

The two regions' partnership to explore energy efficiency and environmental sustainability is part of an existing China-US clean energy partnership program.

Herbert noted that university researchers from both regions have cooperated in studying high-altitude living and applying portable devices to test mercury in the environment.

Researchers from both regions have also begun experiments to convert bio-waste into methane gas to be used as green energy.

Herbert said researchers will also start cooperating in a carbon capture project.

In addition to the current joint projects among the University of Utah, Utah State University and Qinghai University, Utah Valley University (UVU) and Qinghai Normal University signed a memorandum of agreement that will lead to student and faculty exchanges.

Students at UVU will have more Chinese language learning opportunities while their Chinese peers will gain access to some of the university's majors courses, such as computer science and English, said J. Kent Millington, director of Technology Commercialization at UVU.

"The creation, in essence, of a sister-university relationship with Qinghai Normal University will bring greater opportunities for UVU students, faculty, and our regional service area to engage with China," UVU President Matthew Holland said. "This new relationship is fundamentally important to UVU in becoming a more globally engaged institution of higher learning."

China Daily