On December 15, Consul General Gao Yanping met with Texas Governor Rick Perry, accompanied by Consul Wang Peijun of the Chinese Consulate General in Houston, Ray Sullivan, the Governor's Chief of Staff, Aaron Demerson, the Executive Director of the Economic Development & Tourism Division and James Chen, the Director of Asian & Pacific Region and other State Government officials.

Consul General Gao with Governor Rick Perry and his wife Anita

Consul General Gao said, since the establishment of the China-U.S. diplomatic relations, extensive exchanges and cooperation have taken place in many aspects between China and Texas. China is the 2nd biggest trading partner and the 3rd biggest exporting country of Texas. The total trade volume has exceeded 26.8 billion U.S. Dollars in 2008. There are some 5000 Chinese students and 3 Confucius Institutes in Texas universities. Nearly 100 Chinese enterprises have set up branch offices in Texas. Chinese Consulate General in Houston is ready to join hands with the Texas Government to promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation in all fields. Consul General Gao also extended the invitation for Governor Perry to lead the Texas delegation to participate in 2010 Shanghai World EXPO.

Governor Perry said, Texas has benefited a lot from the friendly relations of China and U.S. His government and himself are looking forward to strengthen the all-around exchanges and cooperation with China. He is confident about the success of the 2010 Shanghai EXPO. In the meantime, State of Texas was actively preparing for Shanghai EXPO. He hoped Texas could impress China and the world in Shanghai next year.