Reporter staff
Kent’s ties with China through a Sister City relationship thrives today.
Representatives and delegates from the Kent-Yangzhou Sister City Association, the Greater Seattle Chines Chamber of Commerce, Highline College, visiting government officials and other program partners joined Mayor Suzette Cooke last Friday at a luncheon at Imperial Garden Seafood Restaurant.
The friendship between Kent and Yangzhou began in 1993 with each city exchanging commemorative garden pavilions. The relationship has continued to grow through the exchange of information and delegations in cultural, economic, educational and municipal interests.
“I am very proud of the continuing relations we have with Yangzhou,” Cooke said. “… It helps to solidify not only the relationships between cities but between countries, and the opportunities for our young people who make those exchanges so they will grow into wiser leaders, no matter what their roles are professionally.”
The luncheon celebrated an arrangement that brought Pan Chen and Zhang Zhiyoung, both of Yangzhou, China, to the Puget Sound area for the opportunity to study at Highline College, a partner in the cultural and educational exchange program.
“We are enriched by them,” said Lisa Skari, vice president of institutional advancement at Highline.
Chen and Zhiyoung have enjoyed their time here.
“We are very honored and pleased to have the opportunity to study at Highline and to have experienced America,” Zhiyoung said.
Chen added: “I had a great experience. We enjoy Seattle.”
It was only last fall when Highline College President Jack Bermingham visited Yangzhou, a city of about five million in Jiangsu Province. Yangzhou Mayor Zhu Minyang honored Bermingham as a 2015 Distinguished City Guest.
Bermingham was a guest of honor during the city’s 2,500th anniversary celebration fall. Bermingham and the college were recognized for the outstanding training of Yangzhou Foreign Affairs Office translators and other city officials.
Minyang also acknowledged the college’s commitment to creating higher education partnerships.
Highline College, in Des Moines has developed a strong partnership with Yangzhou since 1998. The college hosts exchange programs for Yangzhou Polytechnic University students and faculty, and they share a dual degree program in Hotel Hospitality Management.
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