美兩華裔市長受邀參加白宮國宴

美國加利福尼亞州奧克蘭市新上任的華裔女市長關麗珍(Jean Quan)獲邀出席白宮計劃爲中國國家主席胡錦濤舉行的訪美國宴。一同前往白宮赴宴的還有其好友、舊金山華裔市長李孟賢(Edwin Lee)。關麗珍祖籍廣東開平，於1月3日在奧克蘭市福克斯劇院宣誓就任該市第49任市長，她是這座城市158年來首位亞裔及華裔女市長。祖籍廣東臺山的李孟賢於1月7日在舊金山市議會以絕大多數票贊成，被推選爲代市長；並於11日得到新一屆市參事會確認，成爲舊金山市首位華裔市長。兩人在上世紀60年代同爲加州大學伯克利分校的同學，美國媒體稱這二位爲美國最傑出的華裔市長。

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.