US states boast strong ties with China

The solid relationship that some US states have with China provides a model for overall Sino-American ties, a Chinese diplomat said on Sunday.

The cooperation between China and the five U.S. states of Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and California has become a paradigm for sub-national ties between the two countries, Chinese Consul General in San Francisco Wang Donghua said Sunday evening.

San Francisco is home to one of the largest populations of overseas Chinese residents, who have made important contributions to the prosperity of the city, the state and the country at large, Wang told hundreds of overseas Chinese in Chinatown in downtown San Francisco.

The overseas Chinese living the United States are key "stakeholders" of the China-U.S. relations, and they are a vital driving force behind the sub-national cooperation between China and the United States, Wang said.

He hoped the Chinese communities here will continue to contribute to the economic, cultural and scientific exchanges between Chinese provinces and cities and U.S. states to help move ties forward.

A stable, sound China-U.S. relationship will benefit not only the interests of both peoples, but also world peace, stability and mutual development, Wang said.

He noted that the overseas Chinese in the San Francisco Bay Area have played a unique role in acting as a bridge between the United States and China.

More than 25 percent of San Francisco's population is of Chinese ancestry, and the city has enjoyed deep cultural and economic ties with China for more than 150 years. San Francisco and the Chinese city of Shanghai have been sister cities since 1979.