Report Overseas Chinese Mark 60th Chinese National Day in London

More than 500 prominent figures from Britain's overseas Chinese community gathered in downtown London Sunday evening for a major celebration marking the upcoming 60th Chinese National Day, which falls on October 1st. It is believed that commemoration is the grandest one that was ever held for this occasion in Britain. Our London correspondent Li Ningjing reports.

Reporter: Every year, overseas Chinese communities in Britain hold parties to celebrate the Chinese National Day. But many believed this year's was the grandest ever, with more than 500 prominent figures from the overseas Chinese community across Britain as well as British dignitaries gathering in a downtown London hotel to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Most guests wore their best attire and came in a jolly mood.

In his welcoming remarks, Li Zhizhang, or Harry Lee, honorary president of the London Chinatown Chinese Association, reviewed China's remarkable achievements over the past few years, such as hosting a spectacular Beijing Olympics and successfully launching the spaceship Shenzhou VII. In particular, he stressed the fact that its economic strength has not only helped China itself weather the financial crisis that hit last year, but was also helping the world economy get back on track. Shan Sheng, president of the China Reunification Society of the UK, said China's achievements made overseas Chinese, such as himself, extremely proud of their Chinese identity.

"The past 60 years for China haven't been just any ordinary years. Through three decades of reform and opening up, China has developed from a poor, weak nation into an important power on the world stage. China is not only economically important to the world, but is also playing an increasingly important role on the world stage. As such, overseas Chinese are living with increasing confidence and pride."

Chinese Ambassador Madam Fu Ying, who attended the occasion, said that when China was founded in 1949, the per capita GDP was only 50 US dollars; but now, China's per capita GDP is 3,300 US dollars and its economy is the third largest in the world overall. She thanked the overseas Chinese community for its contribution to China's prosperity, as well as to Britain's.

"I've noticed that over this period, the overseas Chinese community in Britain is celebrating, in various forms, the 60th anniversary of the founding of new China. Indeed, over these past decades, China has experienced very fast development in various aspects. I believe the Chinese overseas community is most happy and proud of that, because you too have contributed a lot to this development over the past six decades."

Barry Gardiner, an MP of the British House of Commons and a guest at the party, told CRI his view of China's role today.

"China's development just in the past decade has been one of the key phenomenon of the beginning of the century. For 200 years, China, which represented about a quarter of world's population, was producing less than 5 percent of world's GDP. Now we see it rectifies itself. Now we see a quarter of the world's GDP beginning to be produced by China. It's really about China emerging and taking its rightful role in world stage, in terms of trade, in terms of economic might. We saw earlier this year with G20 in London, the important role that China played in getting the world economy back on track. These are all ways, in which, increasingly, the importance of China in strategic affairs is making itself out."

Li Ningjing, CRI News, London.