SALT LAKE CITY - When Christine Gregoire, the US National Governors Association (NGA) chair and governor of Washington state, signed the formal agreement with her Chinese counterpart to establish a China-US Governors Forum in February, she knew that the new exchange program would open more job creation opportunities for both countries.

"The governors forum is a unique opportunity for US and Chinese leaders to come together to have a meaningful exchange on a variety of topics," Gregoire told China Daily.

"Dozens of governors have been on trade missions to China, and states are always looking for opportunities to increase trade and attract investment - both activities that can create jobs," she explained.

Gregoire said governors are committed to promoting a "meaningful exchange" and improving relations that will create opportunities for both China and their own states. "This is a win-win opportunity."

The forum, co-convened by the NGA and the Chinese People's Associations for Friendship with Foreign Countries, kicked off in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Thursday and will end on Saturday. Being held in conjunction with the annual governors' meeting, the conference is considered one of the major achievements of Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to the United States in January.

The forum aims to establish a mechanism to promote peer-to-peer exchanges between United States governors and Chinese provincial Party secretaries and governors in areas of mutual interest.

Since the 2008 financial crisis, US state officials have been struggling with the sluggish economy and growing unemployment rate, and trade ties with China have become more important to the US economy.

"Expanding our exports is key to our economic recovery," said Gregoire. "In my state of Washington one in three jobs is tied to trade. It is essential that we maintain strong relationships with our trading partners."

As dedicated as her predecessor Gary Locke was in promoting trade with China, Gregoire visited Beijing and Shanghai during her Asian trade mission soon after she took the helm in 2005.

Last September, she led a group of 80 business and community leaders on a trade mission to China where she found proof that there is demand for products from the state of Washington. She was excited to post on her website that she had found "at a market in Shanghai, Washington-grown cherries were selling for $45 a pound!"

China is now the largest trading partner of the state of Washington. According to the US-China Business Council, Washington's exports to China in 2010 reached $10.3 billion, a 442 percent growth over the last decade.

"Washington state and China have very strong cultural and economic ties, and this delegation saw first-hand the importance of that relationship. It's a relationship we highly value," she said.

The two countries have been cooperating at the sub-national level for more than 10 years. In 2010, at least eight governors and numerous other officials from US cities and towns led trade delegations to China, according to the US State Department.