Sias Founder speaks at 40th Anniversary Celebrations of Henan-Kansas Relations-Sias University

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Sias Founder speaks at 40th Anniversary Celebrations of Henan-Kansas Relations

September 25, 2021

On the 23rd of September, the province of Henan (China) and the state of Kansas (U.S.A.) held a commemoration for the 40th anniversary of the establishment of relations between the states. The Governor of Henan, Wang Kai, and the Governor of Kansas, Laura Kelly, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to mark the 40th anniversary. The Founder, and Chairman of the Board of Sias University, Dr. Shawn Chen, was invited to attend the event.

In his speech, Wang Kai said that in the past 40 years since the establishment of relations between Henan and Kansas, with the promotion of successive governments of Henan and Kansas and the participation of various sectors of society, multi-level and multifaceted exchanges and cooperation have been increasingly carried out in the fields of agriculture, education, humanities, economy, and trade. He said that this had created a broad space for exchanges and friendship between the two sides.

Wang Kai put forward four suggestions for the promotion of bilateral relations in more fields and on deeper levels.

- First, focusing on the promotion of friendly relations between China and the U.S. by establishing a regular exchange mechanism, strengthening communication and consultation, and promoting all-around exchanges to create a model of China-U.S. cooperation on the local level.

- Second, continuing to expand on the cooperative achievements in agriculture by exploring the strength and potential of both sides, reinforcing the connection between production and demand, promoting the direct import and export between enterprises of agricultural products such as soybeans and meat, and improving the cooperation concerning seeds, animal health, pharmacy, and food processing.

- Third, continuing the expansion of investment in aviation manufacturing services by expanding two-way investment in aviation materials, aircraft maintenance, personnel training, and aviation logistics to achieve mutually beneficial results for the people of the two regions.

- Fourth, increasing cultural exchanges to harness the advantages of educational resources, deepening cooperation between educational institutions, and carrying out more cultural cooperation projects to promote mutual understanding and friendship between the two sides.

Laura Kelly thanked the province of Henan for its friendship and support to Kansas over the past 40 years. She expressed her appreciation for Henan's achievements in effectively combating the Covid-19 pandemic and promoting economic and social development. She said that the state of Kansas will take the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, on the occasion of the anniversary of the establishment of relations between the two sides, as an opportunity to deepen exchanges and cooperation with Henan in agriculture, aviation manufacturing, biotechnology, clean energy, education, and other fields, while continuing to expand on their existing cooperation and bilateral friendship.

During the event, Dr. Shawn Chen said that since its establishment, Sias University had sent over 1,000 teachers and students to Kansas for cultural exchanges and further studies. Sias had also received American teachers and students to Henan for studies and exchanges. It had hosted the visits of several governors of Kansas and promoted friendship between Xinzheng City (Henan) and Hays (Kansas). Sias University had benefited from the cooperation and support of the governments of Henan and Kansas for over 20 years. He said that in the future, the university will expand the scope of cooperation and introduce more Sino-U.S. cooperative projects, and continue to contribute to the friendly relations between the two sides.

Former Governor of Kansas and former Director of the National Archives of the United States, John Carlin; former Governor of Kansas, Mike Hayden; former Governor of Kansas and former Secretary of the United States Department of Health & Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius; the former Director-General of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Henan Government, Feng Yongchen; former Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and former Secretary of the Department of Commerce of Kansas, Harland Priddle; President of Fort Hays State University, Dr. Tisa Mason; Provost and Executive Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kansas, Barbara Bichelmeyer; and the Chairman of the Kansas City Chinese Association, Cheng Xiaohong, delivered speeches at the event.