Former U.S. presidents Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush Tuesday sent congratulatory letters to China's consul general in Houston to congratulate the 62nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Chinese Consul General in Houston Xu Erwen held a reception on Tuesday for some 400 guests, including U.S. federal and state officials, foreign diplomats based in Houston, and representatives of local ethnic Chinese communities, to mark the 62nd Chinese National Day.

"Rosalynn joins me in sending our best wishes on the 62nd anniversary of the People's Republic of China," Carter said in a letter to Xu Erwen.

"When Deng Xiaopeng and I announced the establishment of diplomatic relationship between our two countries, we could only dream of the great economic and social transformation that has so rapidly changed the lives of the Chinese people," Carter said.

"As we mark the birthday of the People's Republic of China, it is my hope that with mutual respect and through continued dialogue and cooperation, the relationship between Chinese and American citizens will continue to strengthen and grow for many years to come," he said.

Bush, in his congratulatory letter, described the 14 months he spent as chief liaison officer in China in 1974 as "the most rewarding" of his career. "The China of today is a nation that reflects its early promise, one that has begun to show the world the possibilities I saw so many years ago," he said.

Consul General Xu recalled in his speech many achievements China has made during the 62 years since the founding of new China. Chinese economy has grown at an average annual rate of 9.9 percent for the past 30 years, she said, noting that China's peaceful development has brought, and will continue to bring huge business opportunities for the world.

Meanwhile, Xu said, China cannot develop itself without interacting with other parts of the world. "China will unswervingly adhere to the strategy of peaceful development and reform and opening up. China will share opportunities of development with the world, and shoulder our responsibilities."

She also stressed the importance of Sino-U.S. ties, which has entered the 32nd year this year. "For the past 32 years, China-U.S. relationship has made great progress, and has become one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world."

China and the United States have a stake in each other's success, said Xu. Last year, the bilateral trade volume exceeded 380 billion U.S. dollars, more than 150 times of the amount when the two countries established diplomatic ties, she said.

The long-term healthy and stable development of China-U.S. relations not only serves the interests of the two countries, but also promotes world peace, stability and prosperity, said Xu, pledging further efforts to boost China-U.S. ties.