SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 500 overseas Chinese in the San Francisco South Bay area staged a grand celebration on Sunday to mark the forthcoming 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
Chinese Consul General in San Francisco Wang Donghua said that over the past 70 years, the Chinese people, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, have embarked upon a socialist path based on Chinese characteristics, and made remarkable progress against great odds, propelling China to become the second largest economy in the world.
"China's development has become an important driver of the world's economic growth, contributing over 30 percent to the world's growth for many consecutive years," he said.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the China-U.S. diplomatic ties, and both countries have benefited enormously from each other's cooperation, said Wang.
"With our economic interdependence increasing and converged interests expanding, we need each other more than ever for greater development," he said.
The senior Chinese diplomat hailed China's ties with California as a model relationship for China and other U.S. states.
"China is now the No. 1 trade partner and the No. 1 source of international tourists and students for California," he noted.
He said people from political and business circles in California have expressed their objection to the trade disputes initiated by Washington.
Mark Green, former mayor of Union City, about 50 km southeast of San Francisco, told Xinhua that China has made great strides in technology, especially pertaining to its high-speed railway.
He said the prospects between California and the Bay Area and China are going to be very strong in the future.
"The economic ties here are very deep and very broad. There are many industries, I think, in the Bay Area that enjoyed trading with China," said Green.
