SAN FRANCISCO: Gao Zhansheng, consul-general of the Chinese Consulate General, briefs the media in the Bay Area on March 15 about a series of topics including the just- concluded NPC and CPPCC conferences, the 40th anniversary of former US President Richard Nixon's landmark visit to China, and the robust economic, trade and cultural exchanges between China and the United States, especially the five US states under his jurisdiction - California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Alaska. In 2011, Gao said California exported a total of $14.2 billion-worth of commodities to China, followed by Washington with a total export number of $11.2 billion. The trend will go upward and forward, said Gao. [Photo/CHANG JUN]