The National Committee brought the first group of Chinese mayors and deputy mayors to U.S. soil in September, 1978. Led by Beijing Deputy Mayor Zhao Pengfei and Shanghai Deputy Mayor Yen Yumin, the 19-member delegation also included city planners, architects, and engineers. The visit was the first of approximately 50 exchanges the Committee has sponsored in the area of municipal and state/provincial management and planning.
This two-way exchange project introduced and facilitated community planning for HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and treatment through training workshops, observation of working models, and dialogue between American and Chinese government officials, public health professionals, and staff of community-based organizations. The main project focuses were the community planning models used by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in particular, and the role of the community in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in general.