On December 8, Consul General Hong Lei attended the Chicago 2017 Consular Corps Gala. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and city officials, representatives from the industrial and business sectors, as well as Consul Generals and Honorary Consuls in Chicago were present at the Gala, which was organized by World Business Chicago and Chicago Sister Cities International.

While talking with Mayor Emanuel, Consul General Hong Lei said that in recent years, China and Chicago have enjoyed a strong momentum of cooperation in economy, trade, education and tourism, leading to a bright future. Consul General Hong Lei invited Mayor Emanuel to revisit China next year and would like to keep in touch with the Mayor’s Office on it. Mayor Emanuel said that Chicago is committed to building itself into the most China-friendly city in the whole country. He hopes to visit China early next year and elevate the cooperation and exchanges between the two sides to a new height.

The annual consular corps gala is an important international activity in Chicago which raise about $1 million each year to support the work of World Business Chicago, Chicago Sister Cities International and the Chicago Consular Corps scholarships to the University of Illinois at Chicago. This year’s gala also presents the Global Citizen Award, Corporate Ambassador a=Award and ChicagoNEXT Award to those who have made great contributions in various fields.