On Saturday, March 11, 2023, the USCPFA-MN joined with the Shaanxi Minnesota Association and other groups in welcoming the Shaanxi Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries to a “Meet Shaanxi in Minnesota” event held at the Wayzata Middle School / Yucai Chinese School campus in Plymouth, MN. Led by Mr. Quan Jian of the Shaanxi Sub-council of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCIPT), the meeting featured presentations of the economy and culture of Shaanxi Province and the municipalities of Yulin and Xianyang. Other speakers included the Deputy Consul General of China, Mr. Huang Liming from the Chinese Consulate in Chicago, the President of the UCSPFA-MN, Mr. Ralph Beha (see remarks below), and Mr. Peter Moe of the University of Minnesota Arboretum. 
The USCPFA-MN and the Shaanxi delegation signed a Memorandum of Understanding confirming their mutual commitments to building bridges of understanding and friendship between Minnesota and Shaanxi, celebrating 40 years of their Sister State / Province relations. 
Entertainment for the event included a troupe from the CAAM Chinese Dance Theater, performances by vocalists, a guzheng player, an erhu and Chinese dulcimer duo, and a spirited Shaanxi dance for audience participation, line-dance style. The event concluded with a Chinese buffet luncheon. 
Remarks by USCPFA-MN President Ralph Beha:
Dear friends, 大家好，my name is Ralph BEHA (or in Chinese, since my college days, 毕若孚), and I am the current President of the Minnesota Chapter of the US-China Peoples Friendship Association. Since its founding in 1974, our organization has played a leading role in establishing and maintaining people-to-people relationships between the peoples of China and the US, on the basis of mutual understanding and respect.
“China” and “friendship”: a heavy lift these days, but it’s not the first or only time. For almost 50 years, USCPFA has been working to build connections between PEOPLE of US and China; then, as now, there were many issues inside both our countries, and tensions between our governments. As our distinguished guests today know, government policymaking and implementation is not easy and often messy.
Through academic, cultural, scientific, sports, tourism, and sub-national governmental relationships, the USCPFA has helped to lay the foundation for increasing mutually beneficial ties of people-to-people friendship.
We welcome our friends from Shaanxi today, as a continuation of our long Shaanxi – Minnesota sister relationship. Several of our Minnesotan founding USCPFA members were among the earliest advocates and cultivators of this relationship.
So how can we be “friends”? Friends are open-minded, curious, caring, and social. Friends are not naively uncritical, and should speak up, respectfully, when there’s a problem. Friends don’t talk about each other with glib, toxic trigger words that oversimplify complicated issues. Friends work together to solve common problems.
We look forward to a time, hopefully soon, when we can once again regularly visit with one another face-to-face, learn more about our common challenges, hopes and dreams and, in dealing with them, build bridges between our peoples. That is why we here today to sign our MOU with the Shaanxi Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
The Minnesota USCPFA will continue to strive to build this kind of engagement, to the furtherance of peace, well-being, and prosperity among all of our peoples. Thank you! 谢谢大家！