From the original press release published by the Office of the Secretary of State of Maryland

Maryland Secretary of State John Wobensmith Announces Details

of Maryland-Anhui (China) Promotion Week – May 29 to June 1

Business, Education, Art and Cultural Events Will Mark

Longtime Sister State Relationship between the Jurisdictions

Annapolis, MD – Maryland Secretary of State John Wobensmith today announced details of Maryland-Anhui (China) Promotion Week, to be held May 29 to June 1.

“Maryland-Anhui Promotion Week is the outcome of a meeting between Governor Larry Hogan and Anhui Party Secretary Li Jinbin last summer,” Secretary Wobensmith said.  “During that meeting, the Governor and Party Secretary agreed that the 38-year-old Sister State relationship between Maryland and Anhui, established in 1980, is deserving of a focus, a celebration, and a re-commitment to the deep and significant economic, trade, educational, and cultural relationships between Maryland and Anhui Province.”

Maryland’s Office of the Secretary of State’s International Division, which directs the Maryland Sister States Program, is partnering with the Sister States of Maryland, Inc., Maryland – Anhui Sister State Committee, on this initiative. More than 150 delegates from Anhui Province, China are expected to travel to Maryland.  With most of its key events held at the Hilton Rockville, Maryland-Anhui Promotion Week will include business discussions, with a particular emphasis on opportunities for cooperation and investment in biopharmaceuticals, agriculture, tourism, trade and transportation.  A Maryland Promotion Hall will feature displays and information on Maryland businesses and agencies across a number of sectors.

Other Maryland-Anhui Promotion Week meetings will include exchanges between Anhui education representatives and Maryland K-12 and higher education officials; and traditional Chinese medicine experts and University of Maryland Baltimore’s Center for Integrative Medicine.

Two Maryland-Anhui Promotion Week events will be open to the public. May is also Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we hope these events will help bring the unique Chinese arts and culture to Maryland in celebration of the commemorative month.

• ■     Anhui Art & Culture Exhibit, May 30 and 31 (10:00 am – 4:00 pm) at the Hilton Rockville, 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD – Featuring Anhui art and cultural exhibits and demonstrations. Admission is free.
• ■    Huangmei Opera, May 30 (8:00 pm) at the Cultural Arts Center of Montgomery College, 7995 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD — A performance of a traditional Chinese opera by Anhui’s most notable opera company. Admission will be $10 (children 12 and under free).

 

For updates and more information on Maryland-Anhui Promotion Week, please visit  http://maryland-anhui.com/ or contact:

Mr. Steve Drake, Vice Chair, Maryland-Anhui Sister State Committee TEL: 301-602-4766, Email: sdrake@verizon.ne

 

About the Maryland Office of the Secretary of State and Sister States of Maryland, Inc.

Maryland’s Office of the Secretary of State has a number of responsibilities, including certification and authentication of documents, registering Notary Publics, administering the Safe at Home program for victims of domestic violence, and registering, regulating and renewing charitable organizations which solicit from Maryland residents. The staff of the International Division administers the Maryland Sister States Program, which was established in 1980 and currently includes 20 relationships in 17 countries.

The Sister States of Maryland, Inc., a private, not-for-profit corporation organized under the laws of Maryland, partners with the Maryland Sister States Program and seeks to have an impact in the promotion of partnerships and relationships that enhance the overall quality of life of the citizens of Maryland and of its Sister States.  The board of directors comprises the chairs and vice chairs of each of the Sister State committees and focuses its projects on the following objectives:  promoting trade and business, increasing educational opportunities, exchanging cultures, improving health and human services, and promoting tourism.