By Conway Jones
Chinese Consul General Zhang Jianmin hosted a reception to celebrate the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco Sept. 21, 2023.
Several hundred people attended including California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, Secretary of Government Operations for the State of California, and San Francisco Chief of Protocol Maryam Muduroglu.
The Consul General’s speech was assertive, compassionate, and optimistic, full of promise and an imperative for a bright future between the PRC and the U.S.
He expressed heartfelt gratitude to friends from all sectors for their support of China’s development and to the China-U.S. friendship and cooperation.
“Despite the slowing global economic growth and complex international environment, the Chinese economy has kept its strong resilience, tremendous potential and great vitality.” said Zhang Jianmin. “Despite the slowing global economic growth and complex international environment, the Chinese economy has kept its strong resilience, tremendous potential and great vitality.” he continued.
China’s GDP grew by 5.5% year-on-year in the first half of this year, surpassing expectations and outpacing the world’s major economies.
Foreign companies are optimistic about the prospect of China’s high-quality development. Tesla, for example, is assembling an electric car every 40 seconds in its giga-factory in Shanghai. This factory produced half of Tesla’s global deliveries last year.
Zhang Jianmin said it is imperative for both sides to build upon the momentum, work in the same direction, and continue to take concrete action to follow through on what our two presidents have agreed.
He concluded his welcoming remarks on an optimistic note saying, “May our two countries continue to prosper (and) may the friendship between our two peoples keep growing in strength.”
California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis delivered greetings from California Governor Gavin Newsom, indicating that he is planning to visit China next month.