State lawmakers get taste of China

BOSTON, Massachusetts - The Chinese Consulate General in New York brought a cultural exhibition to the National Conference of State Legislatures summit at the Boston Convention Center on Monday, presenting calligraphy, food and books to state and federal officials in an effort to enrich China-US relations.

"It's the first time we've hosted an exhibition at the NCSL summit," said Zhang Qiyue, Chinese consul general in New York. "It's a great opportunity for us to present China to officials from all 50 states."

Zhang said she also met with several Asian-American elected state officials on Saturday before the summit to talk about potential economic cooperation between China and US states.

Noting that China and the US were each other's largest trading partners, Zhang said it was crucial to understand each other and build connections at the sub-national level.

"Many Chinese companies are investing and building plants in different states," said Zhang, as she discussed China's economy, educational system and culture with legislators and officials who stopped by the exhibit.

Representatives from the Bank of China, Vanke Co and China Southern Airlines also attended to represent Chinese companies that do business in the US.

"It's important that we strengthen our relationship between New Jersey and China at the sub-national level," said New Jersey Assemblyman Gordon Johnson. "We, the state reps, should work with the provincial government officials and businesses they represent in those areas, recognizing that it will increase the ties we have and bring business to both sides."

"The exhibition is significant to enhance US-China bilateral relations," said William Pound, executive director of the NCSL. "It gives us a chance to have a better sense of China, since China has been changing dramatically over the past decades."

"It's an excellent idea to formalize Americans' idea of Chinese culture; we've watched a lot on TV but have not had very much in-person experience," said Kevin Force from New Mexico. "It's beneficial and intelligent to learn Chinese, because it has already been one of the widest-spoken languages in the world, and the trend is growing."

"We notice that there are more and more Americans who are willing to learn Chinese in the US," said Sun Baifeng, director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.

She said that in Boston, many have been offering Chinese language classes for years.

Zhang Ruinan contributed to this story.

China Daily

(China Daily USA 08/08/2017 page2)