Envoy to LA vows to strengthen ties

China's top diplomat in Los Angeles voiced his gratitude for the support he received from the public in the United States, emphasized the importance of a healthy and stable bilateral relationship, and vowed to continue working harder to strengthen friendship.

The reception on Thursday served to introduce Consul General Guo Shaochun to a wider population in his consular district as well as to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the opening of China's Los Angeles consulate general.

Talking to hundreds of guests from all walks of life, Guo called the China-US relationship "the most important bilateral relationship in the world" and acknowledged that it is "at a critical moment" and "facing serious difficulties and challenges".

However, he said "it is undeniable that the two countries share broad common interests" and it is in the fundamental interest of the two peoples to bring the relationship back on the right track of sound and steady development.

Last year the value of China-US trade reached a record high of $760 billion, with a record $40.9 billion in US agricultural exports to China.

At the state level, China remains the largest trading partner of California, the second largest of Arizona and New Mexico, and the third largest of Hawaii.

Guangzhou and Los Angeles, Qingdao and Long Beach, and Chengdu and Phoenix are in prosperous sister-city relationships.

History has shown that both countries gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation, Guo said. After taking office in February, Guo visited many places and talked to people in order to gain firsthand experience regarding people-to-people exchanges.

In the BYD factory in Lancaster, California, Guo said a US worker he met told him how the Chinese electric vehicle maker offered not only a job but a decent salary that enabled him to support his family and "to realize dreams".

On Feb 6 Guo visited the San Diego Zoo to meet with Paul Baribault, president and CEO of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, for the Lunar New Year celebration. "I truly felt the American people's affection for Chinese giant pandas and a strong interest in Chinese culture," Guo said.

Guo also reiterated China's stance on the Taiwan question. "It involves China's core interests of sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said, adding that it is "the most important and most sensitive issue at the very heart of China-US relations".

"If the Taiwan question is not properly handled, it will undermine the political foundation of China-US relations, impair the subnational cooperation between the two sides, and run counter to the fundamental interests of the US and American people."

Guo, 55, previously served as China's ambassador to Zimbabwe. He concluded his speech by pledging to make "concerted efforts" to promote and develop a "sound and steady" China-US relationship for the well-being of the two peoples.