NEW YORK, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The New York State Senate on Tuesday passed a resolution to recognize Oct. 1 this year as the China Day to strengthen the friendship and relationship between the state and Chinese Americans.

The resolution also recognizes the first week of October this year as the Chinese American Heritage Week.

James Sanders Jr., state senator representing the 10th senatorial district in southeast Queens, said the resolution is significant in promoting the friendly relations and cooperation between New York and China.

He said China has made remarkable progress in the past decades and has played an increasingly important role in international affairs. It is important that the two countries work together to advance the bilateral relationship.

Sanders told Xinhua that as a chairman of committee on banks, he understands how important China is to the economy of New York, and emphasized that the relationships between the two sides are precious.

"We are breaking down walls of misunderstanding. That is important in a day like today, where there is enough tension in the air," he said.

The United States officially normalized relations with the People's Republic of China in 1979 to sustain a close bilateral relationship and to advance mutual security and commercial interests between the two countries, the resolution noted.

According to the resolution, the two sides share a long-term economic relationship, with 659.8 billion U.S. dollars in bilateral trade in 2018, making China the largest trading partner of the United States, and the New York state exported 3.3 billion dollars' worth of products to China, making it the 8th largest foreign market for the state. Meanwhile, the bilateral trade and investment have created tens of thousands of jobs in the region.

Kenneth Chiu, founder and president of American Chinese Development Center, who has pushed the resolution, said he felt super proud of being a Chinese American because for the first time ever the Chinese Americans in New York are being recognized for all the contributions and sacrifices they have made to the country.

Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping also attended the event. He said this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 40th anniversary of the the establishment of Sino-U.S. diplomatic relations.

He said it was significant that the resolution was passed at this special moment. The development of Sino-U.S. relations has brought great benefits to the people of the two countries and the world.

Commenting on the two countries' trade relations, Sanders said all great countries are going to have a certain amount of tension, and there are proper ways of handling these tensions.

He said a way of resolving problems should be seen as an opportunity.

"It is very critical that we remind the American people and the Chinese people of the relationship -- the long-standing relationships that we had, that we have obligations to the world, that we should be turning our tensions to erasing poverty, turning our tension to erasing illnesses and things of that nature," Sanders added.

"If our president is going to have problems, we are going to make sure that those problems don't exist in New York State, and that our partnership remains strong and vibrant," said David Carlucci, senator representing 38th district.

"Our economies are both benefiting from the partnership and relationship that we have with China. We want to make sure that that continues," he said.