Director General Zhang Heqiang of the Department of American and Oceanian Affairs met with an LA delegation headed by Tom Gilmore, Chairman of SCOLA, on November 7. Jeff Gorell, Deputy Mayor of LA and Fabiola Vilchez, President and Executive Director of SCOLA, also attended the meeting.

Director General Zhang briefed the delegation on the role CPAFFC played in China-U.S. Sister Cities interaction. He said, LA as an important American city had been a leader in cooperation with China. The Tripartite Economic Alliance of LA, Guangzhou and Oakland has set an preeminent example for cooperation between international Sister Cities. He hoped LA continue to play a constructive role in promoting China-U.S. sub-national cooperation.

Chairman Gilmore expressed his appreciation to the work that CPAFFC has done to promote LA’s cooperation with China. He hoped to expand LA’s connection with China by enhancing friendly communications with Hangzhou and Chengdu.

Deputy Mayor Gorell said, his first visit to China had impressed him profoundly. He hoped to learn more about China, making his own contributions to strengthening LA’s ties with China.