On March 22, Ma Xuming, Mayor and Deputy Party Secretary of Yichang, met with Mr. Vlad Lipschutz, Consul-General of the United States in Wuhan.

　　Mr. Ma extended his warm welcome to Mr. Vlad Lipschutz and gave a detailed introduction of Yichang’s history and its economic and social development. He mentioned that recent years, the rate of GDP increase of Yichang has been ranked first among cities in Hubei Province, with comprehensive strength ascending to second place in Hubei. Last year, Yichang was second to Wuhan, the capital city in Hubei, in gross regional product with a total of 39.8 billion US dollors. He introduced that as the central city among cities in Western Hubei, a regional central city in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River and a world-famous tourist destination for hydropower stations, Yichang is quickening its pace of developing into a modern mega city.

　　He hopes that with the help of Mr. Vlad Lipschutz, both the Yichang government and Consulate-General of the United States in Wuhan can strengthen cooperation in various fields like foreign trade and cultural exchange.

　　Mr. Vlad Lipschutz expressed that he will make an effort to develop the relationship between the Yichang Government and Consulate-General of the United States in Wuhan, and to promote cooperation and communication in such fields as foreign trade and cultural exchange.

　　It is reported that Mr. Vlad Lipschutz was appointed by the U.S. administration as Consul-General of the United States in Wuhan in September, 2012 also having worked in the Embassy of the United States in Beijing and Consulate-General of the United States in Chengdu.