Mayor’s visit a prelude to sister city agreement

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, February 23, 2000

The mayor and a delegation from Sanmenxia, China, are touring Bowling Green as a prelude to signing a sister city agreement between the two cities.Such an agreement would encourage exchanges and cooperation in the areas of economy, technology, finance, trade culture, education and public health.Mayor Lanyin Zhang led the delegation today as it toured the Western Kentucky Universitys Materials Characterization Center at the universitys south campus. The center is an analytical chemical research lab, which helps local industry with such issues as industrialization and quality control.We have a lot of Chinese exchange students and Chinese scholars who visit here, said John Riley, head of the center.The Sanmenxia group does not speak English but Riley spoke Chinese and Dong Li a center employee translated for the four-member delegation. Prior to arriving at the center, the group visited Westerns main campus and spoke briefly with Western President Gary Ransdell.The delegation also will tour other locales in and around Bowling Green through Friday, but is expected to sign a sister city agreement before leaving. Zhang has extended an invitation for Mayor Eldon Renaud and a Bowling Green delegation to visit Sanmenxia.

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