Kaiping, China became Mesa’s fourth Sister City on October 18, 1993. Kaiping consists of three port cities, Changsha, Xinchang, and Dihai, on the southeast part of the Pearl River delta that incorporated in 1993. The city has a population of approximately 650,000 people.
During Mayor Willie Wong's term in office, Mesa was contacted by several Chinese cities seeking an association in the United States. Since Mayor Wong and many Valley residents of Chinese heritage have family roots in the Kaiping area, Kaiping was selected. Mayor Wong led a delegation to Kaiping in October 1994.
In May 2000, a group of students and faculty members from Mesa Community College visited Kaiping for several weeks, assisting with English language classes at one of Kaiping's middle schools. Additional exchanges are being planned.
For more information on the activities of the Kaiping Committee, please contact Ron Newth at 480-641-5555.
