East meets the Wild West as China delegation comes to Round-Up

By Terry Murry on Tuesday, September 12th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

UMATILLA and MORROW – The Pendleton Round-Up has attracted what is described as the highest diplomatic trade mission to ever visit Eastern Oregon. Delegates from China and their counterparts from the United States accepted an invitation Sen. Bill Hansell (R-Athena) extended repeatedly as an ex officio member of the Oregon China Council.

It’s not all about the rodeo though. The visit is to promote the purchase of wheat, hay and oil seed like canola from Umatilla and Morrow counties. Today the visitors will be at the SAGE Center in Boardman and visit with the Morrow County Grain Growers. Hansell said the world-famous rodeo drew them to the area.

“They can buy wheat anywhere in the United States, hay most anywhere, oil seed in the northwest and in Canada; but the thing that’s bringing them to Eastern Oregon is the Round-Up,” he said.

In addition to the rodeo and Happy Canyon, the delegation will visit with the Oregon Wheat League, Pendleton Woolen Mills, and the Oregon State University Experiment Station. In addition, a special meeting with Gov. Tina Kotek is planned after the dinner in her honor at Blue Mountain Community College Friday.

It was a last minute rush for Hansell and the Oregon China Council, when the longstanding invitation was accepted a few weeks before Round-Up.

“I kind of gulped and asked if they had a place to stay,” Hansell said.

They hadn’t done that. After a flurry of activity, rooms were found for the entire delegation of 11 people in Walla Walla.

“So, they’re going to commute,” he said. “The Round-Up and Happy Canyon has been the magnet that brings them here.”