An evening of Chinese culture,with baseball

An Evening of Chinese Culture will be held in New York next month, with the celebration of the Year of China-US Tourism as the theme.

According to its organizer Li Li, executive vice-president of the Sino-American Friendship Association (SAFA), the event aims to promote sports and entertainment between the American and Chinese communities in New York and globally.

The event, now in its ninth year, will include a concert and the New York Mets-San Diego Padres baseball game at Citi Field in Flushing, Queens, on Aug 12.

Each year's event showcases different cities and aspects of China's diverse culture, and this year is no exception: The culture of Leshan city in Sichuan province in Southwest China, in particular the Leshan Giant Buddha, will be showcased.

The 71-meter-tall Buddha is the largest stone sculpture of a sitting Buddha in the world and the only UNESCO World Natural and Culture heritage site in the western part of China.

A video introducing the Giant Buddha will be show on large screens at Citi Field during the game. Those attending will also receive gifts and brochures.

Individuals who have made contributions to China-US cultural exchange will be honored on the field. This year's awardees include Zhang Qiyue, Chinese consul general in New York; New York City Councilman Peter Koo, and Larry Lee, vice-chairman of the board of China Daily Holding Co Ltd.

The event is hosted by SAFA, co-hosted by the Sino-American Culture and Arts Foundation (SACAF), China National Tourist Office (CNTO) and the New York Mets, with support from the Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area Management Committee.

Since its inception in 2009, An Evening of Chinese Culture has been the most influential and largest Chinese cultural celebration on the US East Coast.

SAFA, which was established in 1992, in an independent non-profit that aims to develop and strengthen mutual understanding between the US and China.

Founded in 1992 in Shanghai, ZPMC has offices in 15 countries outside of China.

In September 2015, the company set up a new office in Houston, the third US office in addition to the ones in Los Angles and Plymouth, Virginia, to expand international operations while enhancing opportunities in offshore business.

The newly established ZPMC North America Center of Procurement and Logistics in Houston is one of ZPMC's strategic moves to become more international, according to Zheng Min, standing vice-managing director at ZPMC.

Of the $2.5-billion procurement in 2014, $500 million was from the US and $400 million was from Europe, said Zheng. "A local presence will shorten the delivery time, give us better quality products and more favorable prices," he said.

As the top manufacturer of port machinery, ZPMC holds 70 percent of the global market share. To realize further growth, the company will have to look into new industries, and offshore is where it is expanding, Zheng said.

"This happens to be one of China's strategic development sectors, and we have the financial strength to do it," he said. "We have accomplished our first goal: our Chinese brand has become internationally famous. Now we are working toward the second goal: to produce the best products."

International business also is an important part of its parent company CCCC and accounted for a quarter of its total business, according to Yi Luping, president of CCCC USA.

CCCC USA is undergoing transition from the traditional contractor to an investor. "CCCC will allocate more resources to invest in the US," said Yi.

(China Daily USA 07/25/2016 page2)