Sister city since: May 15, 2007

Overview

Monroe is a city in northeast Louisiana, located on the east bank of the Ouachita River. The city was founded in 1900. With a mild climate, Monroe boasts convenient transportation and abundant education resources. Its services and retail sectors provide plenty of jobs. The city and its surrounding regions have always been strong in agriculture. Wood processing is the city’s pillar industry, followed by other industries such as paper making, furniture, chemicals, fertilizers, and cottonseed oil.

Relations withJingzhou

Jingzhou and Monroe started their exchanges in 1998, when Mr. Wang Xianhua, a Chinese American in Monroe, learned that Jingzhou had suffered from a heavy flood disaster and came to Jingzhou to help build a Hope Primary School. After Mr. Wang returned to the US, he met with the mayor of Monroe and the city’s councilmen and introduced to them the economic developments and investment environment of Jingzhou. Wang recommended that Jingzhou and Monroe could establish sister city friendships to strengthen economic cooperation. After that, both cities sent delegations for friendly visits. The two cities signed a LOI of establishing sister city friendships and a memo of friendly exchange and trade negotiation.

In September 2006, Jingzhou sent a delegation to America for attracting investment, and the delegation made a special trip to Monroe and received a warm welcome from the mayor, city council president and the locals.

In August 2008, a delegation from Monroe came to Jingzhou. The delegation and Jingzhou authorities reached a consensus on promoting friendly exchanges between people and economic and trade cooperation, based on equality and mutual benefits. Both sides agreed to carry out exchanges and cooperation in science and technology, culture, sports, health, education, and personnel exchanges.

The friendship between Jingzhou and Monroe will facilitate the two cities’ exchanges and cooperation in the fields of business, science and technology, education and culture, which is of great significance for promoting mutual prosperity, the friendship between two peoples and Jingzhou’s international influence.