Zhang Jianxin, Deputy Consul General of the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco, addresses a reception celebrating the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year in San Francisco, the United States, Jan. 25, 2019. The Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco on Friday held a reception to celebrate upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year and honor the contribution of overseas Chinese in forging a close and strong relationship between China and the United States. (Xinhua/Dong Xudong)

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco on Friday held a reception to celebrate upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year and honor the contribution of overseas Chinese to forging a close and strong relationship between China and the United States.

In an address read by Deputy Consul General Zhang Jianxin to hundreds of participants at the event, Chinese Consul General Wang Donghua said the vast majority of overseas Chinese have participated in one way or another in the process of building a wealthier and stronger China over the past 40 years since China introduced the policy of reform and opening-up in 1978.

Wang said he hopes overseas Chinese will seize historical opportunities to render firm support for China's further reform and opening-up and work harder to boost the China-U.S. friendship.

Speaking at the event marking Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 5, Peter Chi, a veteran leader of the Chinese community in San Francisco and the San Francisco Committee to Promote Reunification of China, said overseas Chinese are keen on cementing a more stable China-U.S. relationship.

"The year 2019 will witness several wonderful events for China, including the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China ... and 40th anniversary of the Message to Compatriots in Taiwan issued by the Standing Committee of the Fifth National People's Congress of China on Jan. 1, 1979," he said.

Many overseas Chinese, particularly those living in the United States, are proud of the tremendous achievements that China has made in the past 40 years, Chi said.

"As a member of the San Francisco Committee to Promote Reunification of China, I earnestly hope Taiwan will eventually be reunited with the motherland," he added.

On the other hand, overseas Chinese also would like to see the U.S.-China relations further develop and grow in a stable, healthy and smooth way, and they all will have a role to play during this process, Chi said.

Florence Fong, a prominent leader of the Chinese community in northern California, said 2019 is the Year of Pig, and in the 12-year-cycle Chinese zodiac, the sign of Pig represents wealth, fortune and happiness.

"Over the past years, the Chinese people have emigrated to various places in the world and they have brought the brilliant Chinese culture and heritage to every corner of the globe," Fong said.

"Today, Chinese Lunar New Year has been observed in 133 countries, making it the most celebrated festival in the world," she said.

Fong said she hopes China, as the country of her origin, will continue to grow into a more prosperous country in the future.

California State Assemblyman Scott Weiner presented a certificate of recognition to Deputy Consul General Zhang to honor the "strong relationship" between San Francisco and China.