NEW YOKR, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The New York-based Nasdaq stock exchange marked the Chinese Lunar New Year on Friday with a special bell ringing ceremony to kick off the day's trading.

Zhang Qiyue, Chinese Consul General in New York, rang the opening bell.

"Today we are here not just to mark the beginning of the spring, but to celebrate growing business relationship of the two countries," Zhang said at the ceremony.

She noted that as one of the world's largest stock exchanges, Nasdaq has witnessed firsthand China's economic growth over the years. Today, the Chinese economy has maintained a sound growth momentum with GDP growth reached 6.7 percent last year.

"The country is turning itself from a big manufacturing and export hub into a center of innovation and consumption," said Zhang.

She said bilateral trade and investment have created jobs in the United States and added prosperity to the U.S. economy.

Bob McCooey, Senior Vice President of Listings Service at Nasdaq said at the ceremony that the 2016 marked a milestone year of the close relationship between the United States and China.

"As we look at the two largest economies in the world, we recognize that we have a shared interest in promoting a strong and open global economy," he said.

"Each county has a stake in promoting economic prosperity of the other, and a close alliance between the two lays a foundation for strong and sustainable growth of the global economy, which is so important for all of us," McCooey added.

The stock exchange put up pictures of roosters and the phrase "Happy Chinese New Year" on its large digital screens at the Times Square of the New York City in celebration of Lunar New Year on Friday.