On August 30, Consul General Gao Yanping met with Mr. Sonny Perdue, Governor of Georgia in Atlanta. Consul Wei Liqing, Wang Peijun from the Chinese Consulate General and Commissioner Heidi Green of Georgia Economic Development Department were present.

Consul General Gao briefed Governor Perdue about China's economic and social construction and the latest development of China-U.S. relations, which have brought about great opportunities for the exchanges and cooperation between China and Georgia in all fields. China is the second biggest exporting market for Georgia. Georgia's export volume to China mounted 1.7 billion USD in 2009. Many Chinese enterprises have made investment and set up their factories in Georgia. Three Confucius Institutes have found their homes in Georgia's campuses and thousands of Chinese students are currently studying in the universities of Georgia. Consul General Gao hopes Georgia can seize the opportunities to boost the all-around substantial cooperation between China and Georgia to a higher level so as to bring more tangible benefits to the two peoples. She welcomes Governor Perdue to visit China and attend the Shanghai World Expo in this September.

Governor Perdue welcomed Consul General Gao's visit to Georgia. He said, China's rapid economic development and the stable development of China-U.S. relations have laid a very solid foundation for the exchanges and cooperation between Georgia and China. Georgia's GDP ranked the fifth out of the 50 states in U.S. and Georgia is one of the leading states in areas of agriculture, technology, manufacturing and service industries. Georgia values its comprehensive cooperation and friendly relations with China and hopes to create more jobs and boost the economic development through carrying out mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation with China. Governor Perdue hopes that his visit to China in this September will further strengthen the friendly relationship of cooperation between Georgia and China and deepen the mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

Consul General Gao and Governor Perdue also exchanged views on issues of common concern.