美國(guó)加利福尼亞州奧克蘭市新上任的華裔女市長(zhǎng)關(guān)麗珍(Jean Quan)獲邀出席白宮計(jì)劃為中國(guó)國(guó)家主席胡錦濤舉行的訪美國(guó)宴。一同前往白宮赴宴的還有其好友、舊金山華裔市長(zhǎng)李孟賢(Edwin Lee)。關(guān)麗珍祖籍廣東開平,于1月3日在奧克蘭市??怂箘≡盒木腿卧撌械?9任市長(zhǎng),她是這座城市158年來首位亞裔及華裔女市長(zhǎng)。祖籍廣東臺(tái)山的李孟賢于1月7日在舊金山市議會(huì)以絕大多數(shù)票贊成,被推選為代市長(zhǎng);并于11日得到新一屆市參事會(huì)確認(rèn),成為舊金山市首位華裔市長(zhǎng)。兩人在上世紀(jì)60年代同為加州大學(xué)伯克利分校的同學(xué),美國(guó)媒體稱這二位為美國(guó)最杰出的華裔市長(zhǎng)。
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Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee will attend the state dinner, the first staged for a Chinese leader in 13 years, alongside United States President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle. |
Two Chinese-American mayors from California have been invited to a lavish banquet at the White House to honor President Hu Jintao on Wednesday.
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee will attend the state dinner, the first staged for a Chinese leader in 13 years, alongside United States President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle.
Both Quan and Lee made history by becoming their respective cities' first Asian-American mayors and, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle this week, are "the most prominent Chinese-American mayors in the country".
The 61-year-old Quan, a Democrat and Oakland's first female mayor, told reporters that she felt honored by the invitation.
Her husband, Dr Floyd Huen, will not attend due to work commitments, she said.
In her inauguration speech this month, she said her great-grandfather came to the US 104 years ago from his hometown in Kaiping, Guangdong province. Her generation was the first of its family to be born in the US.
Quan said she was aware her Chinese ethnicity would interest the media and hopes to use the coverage to promote Oakland and attract investment from China.
Lee, whose friendship with Quan dates back to the 1960s when they were classmates at the University of California, Berkeley, was sworn in on Jan 11 and received his invitation to the White House two days later.
A descendent of Taishan in Guangdong province, he was born in Seattle, in the state of Washington. He is married and has two daughters.
The mayors will travel together to Washington DC, the Chronicle reported.
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(China Daily)
(中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語點(diǎn)津 Helen 編輯)