Cultural, tourism event held in Los Angeles to promote China's Shaanxi Province

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- A cultural and tourism promotion event was held in Los Angeles on Thursday to promote China's Shaanxi Province to the U.S. public, and strengthen China-U.S. subnational exchanges and cooperation.

Addressing the event, Li Zhiqiang, deputy Chinese consul general in Los Angeles, said that Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden have agreed to promote and strengthen dialogue and cooperation between the two countries in various areas during their meeting in San Francisco last November.

A multitude of mutual understandings reached by the two presidents will directly benefit the tourism industries of both countries, not least by increasing direct passenger flights, holding a high-level dialogue on tourism, and streamlining visa application procedures, Li said.

He invited more Americans to visit China, to experience China's rich history and culture, witness its breathtaking natural landscapes, savor delicious Chinese cuisine, and enjoy convenient transportation and other tourism services.

Du Jin'gen, deputy director of the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, said Shaanxi is one of the important birthplaces of the Chinese nation and culture as well as the starting point of the ancient Silk Road.

The province has unique natural landscapes and human resources, as well as extremely rich historical and cultural heritage, and is known as the "Natural History Museum", he said.

Over the years, Shaanxi and various states of the United States have jointly launched many cultural and tourism activities, which have effectively promoted mutual visits of tourists from both countries.

Du expressed his hope that tourism authorities and enterprises of the two countries would work together to resume and increase international flights, boost the supply of high-quality tourism products and services, and launch high-quality tourism routes, so as to advance tourism cooperation and facilitate the recovery of the global tourism economy.