Sister City bonds strengthened at Chinese New Year reception
Celebrating the turn of the calendar from tiger to rabbit was Bill Boerum, president of the Sonoma Sister Cities Association, at a Lunar New Year reception in San Francisco at the Consulate General of The Peoples Republic of China.
Penglai, China, is the most recent of Sonoma’s sister cities.
Boerum, who was in Shanghai last September for a conference sponsored by the Chinese association, said the New Year event allowed him to renew acquaintances with consular staff including Consul General Gao Zhansheng.
In such meetings, and his contacts with U.S. embassy and consular staff in Beijing and Shanghai, Boerum said there is the recognition that the wine industry provides an opportunity for economic development for both countries.
“It’s a natural fit for us in Northern California with Penglai and Shandong Province.”
The San Francisco event was celebrated with the serving of California and Chinese wines, Boerum said, that were an aperitif to long buffets of Chinese food.
The formal part of the evening, introduced by the national anthems of China and the United States, was a welcome address by Consul General Gao, preceded by the national anthems of China and the United States.
Among Gao’s themes was an emphasis on the importance of China-U.S. relations. He spoke in Chinese to the overwhelmingly Chinese-American audience while his translated remarks were projected on a large screen.
Boerum said that in speaking to the Consul General, Boerum recalled the words of China’s President Hu in a joint press conference with President Obama which referenced the impact of sister cities in improving U.S. – China relations.
“I told Consul General Gao how much we appreciated President Hu’s comments.”
He also conversed with Deputy Consul General Lu Wenxiang, a prior acquaintance, and renewed “a push for a strategic partnership between Sister Cities International, our U.S. organization and the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.”
Commenting on Consul General Gao’s other remarks at the reception, Boerum noted, “He candidly acknowledged that last year was a challenging one for China. Though the nation achieved much economic growth, on the basis of per capita GDP China is still below 100 in the rankings of developing countries.”
Boerum serves on the Sonoma Valley Hospital board of directors.
