An eight-person delegation of "up and coming" US political leaders will be making a 10-day trip to China for policy and business exchange, hosted by the China-US Exchange Foundation.

The delegation will be in China from Dec 7-16 with the China-US Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), visiting Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai, where they will meet with Chinese government officials, business leaders and academics.

"CUSEF is honored and privileged to host such a distinguished group of political leaders from the US to visit China," said Alan Wong, executive director of CUSEF, in a statement. "US-China relations are the most important bilateral relations in the world, and CUSEF is committed to facilitating a better understanding of our two peoples."

Among the delegates are Rebecca Kleefisch, lieutenant governor of Wisconsin; Cyrus Habib, state representative of Washington; Clarice Navarro, state representative of Colorado; Bridget Gainer, commissioner of Cook County, Illinois; Michael Copeland, mayor of Olathe, Kansas; Tishaura Jones, treasurer of St Louis; and Nicole Malliotakis, state assemblywoman of New York. The eighth member of the delegation has not been named.

Kleefisch will be leading the group, representing Wisconsin on the mission.

"We want to send Wisconsin products, not Wisconsin jobs, to China and this relationship-building mission is an opportunity to open new doors for our exports," she said. "I look forward to making new connections and renewing current ties with leaders in government, business and academia in these three key cities."

Malliotakis, representing New York, said the visit would give her a chance to learn more about US-China ties.

"Our relationship with China is one of the most important, yet fragile, in the geopolitical world," she said. "This is a unique opportunity to examine the interaction between China and the United States in a global economy and explore opportunities to bring American products to one of the world's largest and fastest growing markets."

Malliotakis said that she would like to get a better understanding of China's education system and high-tech research centers, as well as the cities' use of economic development zones to attract businesses and create jobs.

"The trip is designed to help lawmakers learn more about the myriad of issues that face the two nations and promote communication and understanding between the people of China and the United States," Paul Marrone, chief of staff for Malliotakis, told China Daily.

The delegation will be visiting Zhong Guancun High-Tech Park in Beijing, where a number of US tech companies - like Google, Intel, Microsoft - have a presence. The group will also tour Chinese web giant Baidu's headquarters in Beijing's Haidian District and visit schools in Shanghai and Chengdu.

"We have great expectations that this delegation, through their personal experience gained from this trip and their respective leadership positions, will make significant contributions toward the betterment of that relationship," said Wong of CUSEF.

amyhe@chinadailyusa.com