Chinese Americans in San Francisco vow to enhance mutual understanding between China, U.S.

A group of CHINESE Americans in San Francisco representing diversified industries Saturday expressed their willingness to work for enhanced mutual understanding between the United States and CHINA.

The CHINESE Americans of the San Francisco-based non-profit organization, the Greater Shanghai Alliance of America (GSAA), gathered here for a seminar celebrating 40 years of CHINA-U.S. relations since the two countries established official diplomatic ties in 1979.

The participants who are keen on building a closer CHINA-U.S. relationship, expressed their shared aspiration to foster win-win outcomes for both countries, despite the difficulty in their current relations.

CHINESE Consul General in San Francisco Wang Donghua said in a letter to the seminar that the CHINA-U.S. relations, though experiencing ups and downs in the past 40 years, have scored historic achievements and benefited tremendously both peoples, as well as making significant contributions to world peace, stability and prosperity.

The official CHINA-U.S. diplomatic relations ushered in a new page in the history of CHINA and U.S. development, Wang added.

Roger Zhang, chief director of the GSAA, said the CHINA-U.S. relationship is not only a government-to-government one but more of a people-to-people one.

"We believe that cooperation between the U.S. and CHINA benefits both sides while confrontation hurts them, therefore, we CHINESE Americans have the responsibility to try our best to promote such a relationship and grow our friendship between CHINESE and American peoples," he said.

"The U.S. and CHINA have far more common interests than their differences after 40 years of development, and a smooth U.S.-CHINA relationship is conducive to not only both countries, but also global peace and stability," Zhang said.

Tony Spitaleri, former mayor of Sunnyvale city in Santa Clara County, California, said as the world's largest and second largest economy, their relationship under the trend of multiple polarization in the world, has become one of the most promising and most influential bilateral relations in the world today.

The continuing development of relationship between the United States and CHINA will not only affect the future of the two countries but will also have a significant impact on the future of the entire world, he said.

"If we are to succeed, the importance of building strong partnerships and friendships between the United States and CHINA is obvious," Spitaleri added.

Many other participants recalled their personal experience of immigration to the United States, the bumpy history of the two countries, the early connections between CHINESE and American people, as well as the important contribution of CHINESE Americans to the diversified culture of the U.S. society.

A healthy CHINA-U.S. relationship will in the long run offer more than business opportunities for both countries, and a stronger people-to-people bond will sustain the ties between CHINA and the United States, said one of the participants to the seminar.