On January 21, Consul General Gao Yanping met with Todd Strange, Mayor of the city of Montgomery, Alabama in the City Hall. Counsellor Yan Guohua and Randall L George, the President of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, Elton N Dean Sr., the Chairman of Montgomery County Commission were present.

Consul General Gao briefed the Mayor with the latest development of China-U.S. relations, the cooperation between China and southern region of the United States. Consul General Gao stressed that the development of China-U.S. relations enjoyed a good momentum. Bilateral exchanges and cooperation continued to expand in all fields. As an important city of the southern region of the United States, Montgomery has benefited from the exchanges and cooperation with China. China is ready to enhance its economic, scientific, cultural and educational cooperation with the city of Montgomery to achieve more tangible benefits for the peoples from both sides.

Mayor Strange expressed his admiration for the development of China based on his 2 previous visits to China. He said, the city of Montgomery attached great importance to the exchanges and cooperation with China and would coordinate with the Alabama State Government to enlarge exchanges and deepen cooperation. Mayor Strange hoped to achieve interactive and win-win cooperation with China not only in the areas of economy and trade, but also in the areas of culture, science and education.