Yichang and Washington County, Oregon, USA
Yichang in Central China and Washington County in Oregon State in the USA established a sister city relationship in August 2006.
Washington County in northwest Oregon is one of 36 counties in the state of Oregon and part of the Portland metropolitan area. The 2021 census recorded a population of 600,811, making it the second most populous county in the state.
Hillsboro is the county seat and largest city. Other cities include Beaverton, Tigard, Cornelius, Banks, Gaston, Sherwood, North Plains, and Forest Grove, the county's oldest city. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 726 square miles (1,880 km2). It is bordered on the west and north by the Northern Oregon Coast Range and on the south by the Chehalem Mountains.
Agriculture is a major industry in Washington County, as are lumber, manufacturing, food processing and electronics. The development of the electronics industry during the 1980s and 1990s contributed to the creation of Oregon's “Silicon Forest”. Nike and Precision Castparts are two Fortune 500 corporations based in Oregon. California-based Intel, Oregon's largest private-sector employer, has a big operation in Hillsboro. Other technology companies include Electro Scientific Industries, FEI Company, Qorvo, Tektronix, SolarWorld, Planar Systems, and EPSON US. Until it was acquired by IBM, Sequent Computer Systems was headquartered near Nike. Other companies with headquarters in Washington County include optical instruments manufacturer Leupold & Stevens, Columbia Sportswear, and Reser's Fine Foods.
The friendly exchanges and cooperation between Yichang and Washington County began with environmental protection and grass planting experiments.
In March 1998, John Kitzhaber, the then-governor of Oregon State, appointed John Miller to visit Yichang and work with Yichang representatives on grass planting experiments. Experiments were carried out to beautify the city, others to provide feed for livestock, others were related to water and soil conservation issues. Yidu City, Xiaoting District and the Three Gorges dam area were selected as experimental sites. Subsequently, experts from Oregon came to Yichang several times to learn about the growth of grass seeds.
The two parties signed a memorandum to strengthen forestry cooperation and established a joint venture company. A total of 45,000 seedlings of 21 varieties and 1,000 kilograms of American ryegrass seeds from Oregon were planted in Yichang.
In May 2004, a delegation from Washington County visited Yichang and signed an "Agreement on Friendly and Cooperative Relations". The cooperation between the two sides has gradually expanded to personnel training, culture and art, youth exchanges, economic and trade exchanges and other fields.
The Oregon State delegation twice came to Yichang to take part in the Yangtze River Three Gorges International Tourism Festival; Sherwood Middle School from Washington County exchanged teachers and students several times with primary and secondary schools in Yichang. An economic and trade delegation along with representatives from the Oregon-China Friendship Association visited Yichang to attend the China Yangtze River Forum. Yichang government agencies have pursued cooperation opportunities with Columbia, Genentech, the Water Conservation Research Institute and other enterprises and departments.
