HOUSTON, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Overseas Chinese from all walks of life in Houston, the U.S. state of Texas, held a grand flag raising ceremony Saturday to celebrate the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The flag raising ceremony was held at Chinese Civic Center in Houston. The light rain in the early morning could not curb the enthusiasm of the overseas Chinese to celebrate the birthday for their motherland. More than people including the staff from the Chinese Consulate General in Houston, representatives of local Chinese communities and school students attended the event.

Chinese Consul General in Houston Li Qiangmin said that China-U.S. relations are the most important bilateral relationship in the world. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1979, China-U.S. relations have developed in an all-round way and have formed an inseparable community of interests.

"History has proved that China-U.S. economic and trade relations are mutually beneficial and win-win. Our common interests far outweigh the differences," Li said.

When talking about China-U.S. economic and trade relations, Li said that "as the world's largest developing country and developed country, China-U.S. relations are of great significance to world peace, stability, development and prosperity."

He hoped that the overseas Chinese will continue to make unremitting efforts for the mutual understanding and friendly interactions between Chinese and Americans.

As the representative of overseas Chinese, Fan Yuxin, chief executive of the Chinese Civic Center, said that people could understand "Chinese heart" more and hold more deep-rooted feelings for their motherland when they stayed abroad. He encouraged overseas Chinese to pioneer and to become a glorious and dignified Chinese.

At the flag raising ceremony, local performance groups and school students also brought dragon and lion dances as well as singing and dancing performances to the audience.