(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the United State-China Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG), launched a blog that will provide a personal view of her travels and meetings as she leads a Congressional Delegation trip to China that will last through the end of this week. Murray’s blog will include first-hand accounts of meetings and conferences with Chinese leaders and descriptions of her work to address critical issues between the two countries including trade, international security, intellectual property protections, human rights and energy.
 
On October 8th, 2009, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid appointed Senator Murray to chair the IPG because of her “long history of working for stronger trade and intergovernmental relations with China.” The IPG is the official dialogue mechanism between the US Senate and the Chinese government. As the most trade dependent state in the nation, Washington state’s continuing relationship with China is uniquely critical to the state’s economy, businesses, jobs outlook, and communities.