LOS ANGELES - California wants to strengthen ties with China on economic and other fronts, as better China-US relations promote mutual understanding, the US state's governor said Wednesday.

In a telephone interview with Xinhua, Governor Edmund Gerald (Jerry) Brown said his state had seen a strong relationship with China in recent years and he hoped to further expand the ties.

"My goal is to build the relationship between California and China to encourage direct investment from China into California," said the governor, who was sworn in early last year.

Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping, who is on a five-day official visit to the United States, will visit Los Angeles in southern California on Thursday and Friday.

Speaking of Xi's upcoming visit, Brown said, "I think it is good for California to see the vice-president, given the power of China and the power of America. It's extremely imperative our leaders meet on national levels to find many avenues of cooperation and mutual understanding."

The governor pinpointed energy, transportation, water conservation and a number of other sectors where his state and China could expand cooperation.

The state of California has a population of about 38 million and a gross state product of nearly 1.9 trillion US dollars, the largest in the United States.

According to Brown, many companies in California are manufacturing in China or sell goods to China. California is doing well in selling agricultural products including walnuts, almonds and other food crops, as well as Hollywood entertainment, hi-tech and raw materials.

Many Chinese companies, including shipping firms, were building bases in California, he said.

"My goal is to strengthen or expand all these commercial ties," the governor said.

Ties between California and China dated back to the Gold Rush era, and they had expanded to such an extent that they had spread to many areas, including technology and commerce, he said.

"We are hoping that California will see many jobs created from new Chinese direct investment in our state," Brown said.