The Oregon-Fujian Sister State Association (OFSSA) is an all-volunteer charitable organization whose mission is to facilitate governmental, commercial, educational and cultural relationships between the citizens of the State of Oregon USA and Fujian Province PRC.  In July 2006 and again in November 2007 an official delegation of the State of Oregon visited Fujian Province.  Oregon State Representative Dennis Richardson led the delegation in meeting with Vice Director Zhu Ya Yan of the Standing Committee of the Fujian Provincial People’s Congress and Director-General Hong Changping of the Environment and Urban Construction Commission of the Standing Committee.  Afterwards, OFSSA Director of Environmental Programs Thomas R. Benke met with Director-General Hong.  At that meeting Director-General Hong committed to facilitating the participation of Oregon companies in the Fujian environmental marketplace.  Mr. Benke met also with Director Jiang Yong of the Fujian Provincial Office of Environmental Protection International Cooperation and later with representatives of the Xiamen Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.  Both Fujian EPB and Xiamen EPB have agreed to collaborate with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services on environmental issues of importance to both Fujian/Xiamen and Oregon/Portland.  The Oregon delegation’s visit to the Third Fujian Environmental Protection Projects Fair is the first step in this collaboration.  The project will continue with a delegation of Fujian and Xiamen representatives visiting the State of Oregon.