Madame Wu is stopping in Hawaii enroute to Washington, D.C. to attend the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce & Trade.  The 150-member Chinese delegation includes several cabinet members, many of whom Governor Lingle met with last summer in China, including CNTA Chairman Shao and Madame Ma Xiuhong, vice minister of Commerce and Transportation.  

The delegation also includes more than 100 Chinese business leaders who met with more than 120 Hawaii businesses today during a business and tourism investment seminar in Waikiki.  Participants discussed investment and tourism issues of importance to both China and Hawai`i.  Keynote speakers at today's seminar included Chairman Shao and Madame Ma.

This visit by the Chinese Vice Premier and her delegation is a direct result of last year’s successful official trade mission to China by Governor Lingle, as well as a trade mission by Lt. Governor James R. "Duke" Aiona Jr. in 2004, where they laid the groundwork for a cooperative tourism agreement and other business development opportunities.  

Memorandum of Understanding On Tourism Cooperation Between The State of Hawaii of the United States of America And The China National Tourism Administration Of the People’s Republic of China

IN THE SPIRIT OF COOPERATION AND MUTUAL BENEFIT, the State of Hawaii and the China National Tourism Administration ("Parties" hereafter) enter into this Memorandum of Understanding.

The Parties agree to the following objectives:

• To encourage friendly and productive relationships among government and education organizations and institutions, and business entities in Hawaii and China.

• To promote tourism development that creates partnerships between Hawaii and Chinese businesses in the tourism industry, through mutually beneficial activities related to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2010 Shanghai Expo, and other events in various regions of China.

• To promote and facilitate exchanges in such areas as business, education and technology between government organizations and business entities with tourism responsibilities.

• To develop and support timely and appropriate education, professional development and training opportunities for government officials, business executives, technical specialists and professionals in the tourism industry, including faculty and student exchanges, joint curriculum design projects and other collaborative education initiatives.

• To explore possibilities for an on-going forum in such areas as destination management; work force development; sustainability; resort development; emerging trends; opportunities and challenges; and other topics of relevance to two-way tourism in China and the United States, with particular emphasis on Hawaii.

• To facilitate close cooperation in tourism research and outreach partnerships through the exchange of research and the establishment of joint projects in areas of mutual concern.

The Parties further agree to the following:

• The Parties shall assist their respective government organizations at both the state/provincial and national levels in promoting and facilitating an increase of two-way travel between the United States and China, and will encourage their respective travel firms to provide services that meet or exceed visitor expectations.

• The Parties shall exchange information on tourism market conditions, and other areas, in their respective country or state/province, and shall work closely together to identify mutually beneficial exchange opportunities between their respective government organizations and business entities.

• With consideration of the warm relationship that has been fostered between the State of Hawaii and the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), the State of Hawaii, along with its partner educational institutions, including the University of Hawaii System and Brigham Young University-Hawaii, and the education and training institutions that are members of the Integrated Development Group (IDG) (a group of specialized companies and institutions in the area of tourism destination planning and development) will, each year, invite CNTA to nominate and forward the names of one or two mid-level staff members with leadership potential to Hawaii tourism training programs. These programs will give every consideration to these applicants and will waive tuition fees for the selected applicants. CNTA will encourage various Chinese provincial and municipal tourism organizations and institutions to participate in custom-designed tourism training programs offered by Hawaii institutions.

• CNTA welcomes and encourages Hawaii tourism-related government agencies and business entities to establish partnerships with their counterparts in the Chinese tourism industry, and will support the Integrated Development Group in undertaking tourism development projects in China.

To implement the provisions of this Memorandum, the Parties agree to:

• Appoint a Chief Liaison Person to implement the activities and programs proposed by this Memorandum.

• Act through the State of Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism and the CNTA Department of Marketing and Communication.

NOTE: This Memorandum takes effect from the date on which it is signed and will be valid for a period of five years. In order to terminate this agreement, one party is required to give the other party three months’ notice.

DONE, in Honolulu, Hawaii, in two original copies, both in the Chinese and English languages, both texts being equally authentic.

For the State of Hawaii: For the China National Tourism Administration:

Signed: LINDA LINGLE, Governor and SHAO QIWEI, Chairman

Today in Hawaii...