, GREATER DES MOINES SISTER CITIES COMMISSION 400 Robert D. Ray Drive Des Moines, Iowa 50309-1891 Phone: (515) 283-4141 FAX: (515) 237-1300 NEXT MEETING DECEMBER 9, 2014, AT 5:00 P.M. KOFU CONFERENCE ROOM, DES MOINES CITY HALL MINUTES November 18, 2014 Members Present: Members Absent: Guests: Staff Present: Dave Bair, Darlene Blake, Heather Carman, Mark Daly, Roger Nowadzky, Ginny Renda, Sam Reno, Vidal Spaine, Tim Woods Pat Civitate, Kevin Geiken William Clemons and His Mother Teresa Branaman On Tuesday, November 18, 2014, Commission Chairperson Ms. Blake called the meeting of the Greater Des Moines Sister Cities Commission to order at 5:00 p.m. in the Kofu Conference Room, Des Moines City Hall. Guest Present William Clemons William is a Hoyt Middle School student working on a Current Issue Project requiring him to do 10 hours government service or government participation in a meeting like the Sister Cities Commission. MINUTES Minutes for the September 16 and October 14, 2014 meetings will be discussed at the December 9th meeting due to lack of quorum. FINANCIAL REPORT Financial report for the September 16 and October 14, 2014 meetings will be discussed at the December 9th meeting due to lack of quorum. COMMISSION CHAIRPERSON REPORT Thank you letters to Drake University and Kurt Martin will be sent for their help with the preparation for the China trip. Ms. Blake sent brief email thank you s to the people in China, but will send formal thank you s as well. COMMISSION VICE CHAIRPERSON REPORT After the trip to China, Mr. Nowadzky feels a need to energize all of our sister cities relationships. He indicated he would like to focus on a strategic plan to get things going for all city committees. COMMITTEE REPORTS Catanzaro, Italy Pat Civitate No Report at this time.
November 18, 2014 Page 2 Kofu, Japan Kevin Geiken, Heather Carman The Kofu Committee is still working on the Bacon Festival. Saint-Etienne, France Roger Nowadzky, Dave Bair Mr. Bair will do some research to find old or new contacts to reach out to in Saint-Etienne. Shijiazhuang, China Tim Woods and Ginny Renda Ms. Blake shared the details of the trip to Shijiazhuang (report attached to minutes, including the Memorandum of Intent agreement which was signed by both parties). Mr. Woods shared that the trip was a success on many different levels. Not only was the political level successful, but connections with the Foreign Affairs Office were also made. Mr. Nowadzky shared that Xi Jinping, China s President, is from this area; and as president, he looks at America through the eyes of his experiences in Iowa. Ms. Blake reported that Shijiazhuang is making plans to bring a large delegation to Des Moines in 2015 for the 30 th Anniversary celebration. Mr. Reno shared that one of the standards for success for the upcoming celebration would be extensive press coverage by a variety of outlets. One though was to pick at least three (3) local stakeholders to spring board new routes of cultural exchange going into this celebration. Stavropol, Russia Vidal Spaine Mr. Spaine shared that we are still looking at an opportunity to host a conference for a delegation expected to visit from Stavropol. Festival Mark Daly Mr. Daly reported that he made a trip to Merida. Merida is the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatan, which is the largest city on the Yucatan Peninsula. Yucatan, Mexico is a sister of Iowa Sister States. Mr. Daly shared that he went to Merida because of a connection with Central College in Pella, Iowa. Currently, there are 32 students from the Yucatan at Drake University studying English and learning about Iowa s culture. NEW BUSINESS Presentation to City Council Mr. Reno will put together a PowerPoint presentation, request 10 minute with City Council for them to view. Education Liaison with Higher Institutions of Learning Mr. Daly will come up with some ideas. OLD BUSINESS In follow up to previous presentation to the Commission by representatives of Kapsabet, Kenya, Mr. Spaine shared that the mayor would like to see the process speed up a little bit so that it can be voted on. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 6:05 p.m. NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be December 9, 2014, in the Kofu Conference Room, Des Moines City Hall.
Shijiazhuang Delegation Follow-up Report October 20-26, 2014 Business Perspective Recently a Sister Cities Delegation comprised of Darlene Blake, Roger Nowadzky, and Tim Woods attended the Shijiazhuang 2014 International Trade Fair for Investment and Cooperation. The event was heavily focused on Shijiazhuang s effort to create a triangle shaped cooperation zone between Shijiazhuang, Tianjin and Beijing. The zone would focus on the port and industries in Tianjin, the government and industry of Beijing, and Shijiazhuang s financial, transportation and logistics strengths. The overriding theme of each of the speakers during the opening of the Trade Fair was pollution resolution. It was clear that Shijiazhuang was campaigning for the City s future to be tied to the other metropolitan giants to create a Green Zone to drastically change the failures of the past. Shijiazhuang has a total population of 10,163,788, with 4,550,000 in the urban area. The Metro Area comprises eight districts and 17 counties/cities. The city ranked twelfth in population in mainland China and is considered a second tier city. In terms of urban population, Tianjin is the fourth largest (tier one city) in China, after Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou. With regards to administrative area population, Tianjin is a dual-core city, with its main urban area (including the old city) located along the Hai River, which connects to the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers via the Grand Canal; and Binhai, a new urban core located east of the old city, on the coast of Bohai Sea. Around 285 Fortune 500 companies have set up base in Binhai, which is a new growth center in China and is a hub of advanced industry and financial activity. Since the mid-19th century, Tianjin has been a major seaport and gateway to the nation's capital. Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world. The reported population as of 2013 was 21,150,000. Located in northern China, it is governed as a direct-controlled municipality under the national government, with fourteen urban and suburban districts and two rural counties. Beijing is surrounded by Hebei Province with the exception of neighboring Tianjin Municipality to the southeast. Shijiazhuang is at the crossroads of two major passenger and freight rail networks north to south and east to west. The City has new infrastructure, modern roads and is building a subway system which is expected to be completed by 2020. The city has a highly developed plan for the clean-up of pollution, continued urban expansion and beautification. With the Taihang Mountains to the west, Beijing and Tianjin to the north and the Central China Plains to the north and south it is the referred to as the northsouth thoroughfare and throat of Hebei and Shanxi Provinces. Shijiazhuang had a GDP in 2013 of 486.36 billion yuan ($79.4 billion) at a growth rate of 9.5%. The City currently has 38 Development Zones (industrial parks). Each zone has been well served by infrastructure investments (roads, sewage, water, natural gas, electrical power, telecom, and internet) these zones are targeting bio-industry, information technology, high-end equipment manufacturing, textiles, logistics and education.
The City is a banking and investment center and is the home of the first established Bank of China under the People Republic of China. Shijiazhuang is home to many private banks and is focused on its current strength in the financial markets and further development of related service industries. Shijiazhuang is very interested in making connections on a business to business level in medicine, bioscience, education and manufacturing. In the bio-industries they re focused on development of biological medicine, bio-manufacturing and biological agriculture. They re interested in connections in high-tech industries specifically satellite navigation, fiber optics communications, flat panel display materials and semiconductor lighting. New material industry targets are special cable development with metal fibers, nano-materials, high performance steel materials. Shijiazhuang is keen on developing environmental and energy-savings industries focused on more efficient sewage treatment, energy-saving electronics and industrial and commercial environmentally dedicated construction and design. The city has dedicated an entire district to the new energy automotive industry that will focus on various forms of automotive power sources, major storage battery advancements and natural gas utilization. Education development and talent retention is an important goal of Shijiazhuang. They are strengthening their current universities and looking for ways to draw talent to its schools and universities. The City would like to develop a middle school program with Des Moines School District and have more exchanges between our students. (English is taught beginning in middle school.) Overall, Shijiazhuang is open for business. They are eager to build a new green energy-efficient city and open to those who can help them get there. More importantly Shijiazhuang has the capacity to complete their plan. Shijiazhuang is a modern city with a rich 1000 year history and retains its important culture. The City has learned from their past mistakes and are moving quickly to create a cleaner, vibrant city with a solid foundation. Shijiazhuang is a great and exciting market place for Iowa businesses and entrepreneurs. Iowa holds a unique advantage in our Sister State of Hebei Province and with our Big Sister City Shijiazhuang. The Greater Des Moines Sister City Commission has an important role to play in making connections between those in our community who are interested in doing business in China and our Sister City Shijiazhuang. Submitted by Tim Woods Shijiazhuang Chairperson November 1, 2014