Swear-In 15th Group of U.S.-China Friendship Volunteers

August 28 – Ambassador Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., in his first trip out of Beijing after his arrival to China, traveled to Chengdu to swear in the 15th group of U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers who will become U.S.-China Friendship Volunteers.  At an August 28th Peace Corps Welcoming Ceremony, Ambassador Huntsman led the oath of service for seventy-five volunteers and delivered a speech stressing the importance of service as well as educational, cultural and people-to-people exchange.  Following the ceremony, volunteers traveled to colleges, universities, vocational schools throughout Chongqing, Gansu, Guizhou, and Sichuan, where they will teach English for two years.

While in Chengdu, Ambassador Huntsman also called on Sichuan Province Governor Jiang Jufeng ; witnessed the signing of a $570,642 grant on behalf of the U.S. government to Sichuan Health Information Center to design a province-wide universal healthcare system based on an e-healthcare technology platform;  participated in a meeting with members of the local American Chamber; and held a short press conference with local media.

Ambassador Huntsman, accompanied by his wife and family, arrived in Beijing on August 21.