On April 17th, Vice President Xie Yuan met with Mayor Paul Leon and his delegation from Ontario, California, U.S. He briefed that promoting China-U.S. sub-national exchanges is one of the major tasks of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). The two countries have already established exchange and cooperation mechanisms at provincial, county and city levels. California is the largest state in the U.S, and China’s largest trading partner among all U.S. states. The future development of China will provide greater cooperation opportunities for Ontario and other localities in the State of California.

Mayor Leon said this was his first visit to China. It is aimed at gaining better understanding of Jieyang City, Guangdong Province, facilitating the establishment of sister city relationship with Jieyang and looking for cooperation opportunities in the cities he visited, including Xiamen, Shanghai, Linyi and Beijing. This trip allows him to have first-hand experiences of China, which contrast greatly with the negative reports about China in the U.S. media. China has so much for people to admire. As one of the free trade zones in U.S., the city of Ontario boasts advantages in the fields of transportation and commerce, and make itself an important gateway of California to China.