Michigan-China connection deepens

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder presents Governor Yin Li of Sichuan province with the original sister state-province contract from 1982, at an event celebrating the 35th anniversary of their friendship relationship during his seventh visit to China in July this year. PHOTO PROVIDED BY GOVERNOR'S OFFICE OF MICHIGAN

Q: China and the US recently completed their first social and people-to-people dialogue in Washington DC. Educational cooperation is one important aspect. What is the current situation of educational cooperation and exchange between Michigan and China? How do you see the future prospects of such cooperation?

A: Michigan's universities, led by University of Michigan, Michigan State and Wayne State, have terrific collaborations with Chinese universities. These include student exchanges, faculty exchanges and joint research in a variety of fields. We expect these collaborations to grow a great deal in the coming years, and they contribute a lot to mutual understanding.

Q: We've learned that your daughter Kelsey is studying Mandarin at the University of Michigan, and studying Chinese language is a trend among young Americans. Why do you think this has occurred? What do you see as the role of young people in further promoting friendship and cooperation between our two great countries?

A: American students understand that the US-China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world. Many students are choosing to learn Chinese in preparation for careers in international business and politics. It's so important that our young people in America and China are able to build friendships and deepen their cross-cultural understanding.

Q: What do you think have been the major developments in the economic, technology, cultural and other fields since your first visit to China in 2011?

A: Certainly, we've seen China place a high priority on domestic innovation and technology during this period, as it moves to elevate and transform China's economy. This process takes a long time, but we're seeing some effects already.

Q: What has been your personal experience with this development?

A: We've met with many political and business leaders in China that are interested in increasing technological capacity in China's economy through domestic innovation initiatives and through acquisitions abroad. There are many ways we can work together on this for the benefit of both China and states like Michigan.

Q: What do you expect for the next five years and beyond as China is about to draft its development blueprint for the next five years?

A: Yes, I understand that the 19th Party Congress has laid out goals through 2050! I understand that the first phase is about creating a moderately prosperous society. Many of the regions I've visited in China are already beyond moderately prosperous, and I expect there will be a focus on reducing the income and wealth gaps between China's diverse regions.

yuanzhang@chinadailyusa.com