President Xi's Promotion of Sino-US People-to-People Friendship, Head of State Diplomacy "More Move, More Exchange" Head of State Diplomacy | China

"I often say that the foundation of Sino-US relations lies in the people, and we always place our hopes on the American people and hope that the two peoples will continue to be friendly." President Xi Jinping said this when he met with Bill Gates, co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Beijing on the 16th.

In the past few years, China US relations have been hovering at a low point, but the door to dialogue and communication between China and the US has been open, and the exchanges and exchanges between the Chinese and American people have never been interrupted.

The friendship between nations lies in mutual affinity between the people. One vivid story after another demonstrates to the world that the will of the people of China and the United States is cooperation, which is beneficial to both countries and the people of the world.

Walk and communicate more to enhance understanding

"You are the first American friend I met in Beijing this year." President Xi Jinping told Gates that the world is coming out of the new crown epidemic and that people should move around more and communicate more to improve understanding.

On June 16, President Xi Jinping met with Bill Gates, co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Beijing.

Gates said that China has made remarkable achievements in poverty reduction and coping with the COVID-19 epidemic, setting a good example for the world. He also said that China's accelerated innovation and development is beneficial to China, developing countries, and the world.

The Gates Foundation has been collaborating with Chinese partners for over 15 years.

Now Gates is visiting China again. He said he witnessed firsthand some innovations in China that could drive global progress. The artemisinin and other drugs developed by China have saved the lives of millions of malaria patients worldwide, made significant progress in poverty reduction, made significant investments in clean energy and climate adaptation, and made significant contributions to global food security. Gates is excited about the prospects of cooperation with China.

The understanding between the people of China and the United States towards each other has deepened through continuous movement and communication. The friendship between the people of China and the United States has become increasingly profound through expanding cooperation and deepening exchanges, and has become the foundation for the long-term development of bilateral relations.

Since the beginning of this year, many American corporate executives have come to China. Communication, negotiation, visits, and cooperation, everyone's itinerary for visiting China is full.

During his visit to China, Jamie Damon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, expressed his hope to continue expanding his business layout in Shanghai; Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasinghan praised "the Chinese market has unlimited possibilities"; Medtronic Chairman and CEO Jeff Massa observed that "various parts of China are thriving and full of vitality"; Tesla CEO Elon Musk has clearly expressed opposition to "decoupling and chain breaking" and is willing to continue expanding its business in China and sharing development opportunities in China.

Recently, some foreign business associations in China have released reports showing that most of the interviewed foreign companies are optimistic about the prospects of China's economic development. Among them, nearly 60% of American companies hold a positive attitude towards China's economic recovery.

"American companies are full of expectations for continuing to expand into the Chinese market. The economies of the United States and China cannot be 'decoupled', and strengthening cooperation is beneficial to the people of both countries." Craig Allen, President of the National Committee on US China Trade, told Xinhua News Agency reporters, especially in the face of multiple global crises, he is happy to see increased communication and exchange between the United States and China to promote domestic and global economic development.

Over the past 40 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and the United States have deepened civil exchanges and closely integrated interests. In 2022, statistical data from both sides showed that the bilateral trade volume between China and the United States reached a historic high, demonstrating strong resilience. As the largest developing country and the largest developed country, China and the United States have extensive cooperation space in various fields such as economy and trade, energy, technology, education, and culture, and bear significant responsibilities in addressing global issues such as climate change.

People's friendship is a precious treasure

Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation of the United States, noted that when President Xi Jinping met with Gates, he emphasized that "the foundation of Sino-US relations lies in the people." He deeply resonated with this. President Xi Jinping's hope for the friendship between the two peoples once again touched the fond memories of the winner of the China Reform Friendship Medal.

As an expert on China issues, Kuhn has shuttled back and forth between China and the United States for many years, and is a witness and firsthand witness to the development of China US civil exchanges. Kuhn said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency on the 17th that strengthening civil exchanges is a reliable way for China and the United States to transform opportunities and common needs into positive cooperation and constructive relations. To promote the stable and healthy development of bilateral relations, there is no better prescription than strengthening civil exchanges.

Time and time again, our hearts intersect, leaving behind admirable stories and precious friendships.

Mascatine, located in the central state of Iowa, is a quiet and peaceful town on the Mississippi River.

In 1985, Xi Jinping, then secretary of the Zhengding County CPC Committee in Hebei Province, led a delegation to inspect Iowa, known as the "granary of the United States." in 2012, Xi Jinping, then vice president of China, revisited his hometown during his visit to the United States. get together again with his old friends and remember the past.

This statement moved everyone present, and Landy was deeply impressed by it.

Landy attached a letter to President Xi Jinping presenting his memoir "Old Friends": The Story of Xi Jinping and Iowa.

In 2022, Landy sent a letter to President Xi Jinping, thanking President Xi for his precious friendship for old friends, and hoped that the two countries would continue to deepen cultural exchanges and enhance understanding and mutual trust. In his reply to Landy, President Xi Jinping pointed out that the people of China and the United States are both great people, and people-to-people friendship is not only a valuable asset, but also provides an important foundation for the development of bilateral relations.

Mascatine has become a microcosm of the friendship between the Chinese and American people - Chinese orchestras hosting New Year concerts in the local area; The local student choir came to China to participate in the International Choir Festival; In the Chinese New Year of the Rabbit, nearly a hundred local people from all walks of life gathered together to renew the friendship between the people of China and the United States, and the civil exchanges between the two sides have become increasingly frequent.

The "China US Friendship House" in Mascatin, Iowa, USA.

President Xi Jinping has used cultural exchanges and dialogue among civilizations as a link to promote in-depth non-governmental exchanges between China and the United States. In 2015, during his visit to the United States, President Xi Jinping attended a welcome banquet jointly held by the local government of Washington State and American friendship groups. "There's the majestic Mount Rainier and the sparkling Lake Washington. The movie" Sleepless in Seattle "made the city a great attraction among the Chinese people." At the beginning of President Xi Jinping's speech, more than 800 listeners laughed heartily.

President Xi Jinping talked about the books he had read about American writers. In his youth, he read the Federalist Collection and Thomas Paine's common sense. He also liked to understand the lives and thoughts of American politicians such as Washington, Lincoln and Roosevelt. He also read the works of Thoreau, Whitman, Mark Twain and Jack London.

In his speech, President Xi Jinping pointed out, "State relations are, in the final analysis, relations between peoples. Although China and the United States are far apart, the two peoples have a long history of friendly exchanges."

Shh the cold and warm, bring home the usual;

Build a bridge across the Pacific Ocean

In Tacoma City, about 50 kilometers away from Seattle, a table tennis table at Lincoln High School stands out.

More than 50 years ago, it was a small table tennis ball that knocked the door to the resumption of exchanges between China and the United States, opening the prelude to the normalization of Sino US relations.

He encourages children to read thousands of books and travel thousands of miles, and invites everyone to visit China more to experience and perceive China, to have a more comprehensive and profound understanding of China, to get to know China, and to love China.

One year later, 118 teachers and students from Lincoln High School were invited to visit Hong Kong, Fuzhou, Chengdu, Beijing, and other places. More than one-fifth of students come from low-income families and are flying for the first time in their lives.

On October 8, 2016, Hong Kong table tennis players engaged in an exchange competition with students from Lincoln High School. On that day, teachers and students from Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington, USA visited the Hong Kong Institute of Sports.

A communication, a long journey, changed the lives of a group of American children. "This was the best educational experience of their lives, and the miracle of China opened their eyes," said Elvin, the principal of Lincoln High School.

After their trip to China, nearly half of these children began seeking scholarships or student exchange programs to pursue further education in China.

Over the years, President Xi Jinping's warm interactions with American teenagers have allowed the seeds of friendship to take root in young hearts, building a spiritual bridge across the Pacific Ocean and facing the future for Sino-US friendship.

On April 3, 2019, in North Niles City, Illinois, USA, students from North Niles High School recited Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai's "Silent Night Thoughts" and Meng Haoran's "Spring Dawn" in Chinese on site.

In 2019, President Xi Jinping wrote to the students of North Niles Senior high school, Illinois, USA, chatting with the children about their work, chatting about their daily life, and encouraging the students to contribute to the promotion of the friendship between the Chinese and American people, which made the teachers and students of the school feel more cordial. In 2020, President Xi Jinping replied to the students of Cascade Elementary School in Utah, USA, patiently answering children's questions full of childlike interest, encouraging children to continue to work hard to learn Chinese, understand Chinese culture, and make children surprised and proud.

On January 21, 2020, teachers and students of Cascade Elementary School displayed a New Year card made for President Xi in Orem, Utah, USA.

The friendship between China and the United States is rooted in the people, and hope lies in the youth. When the pure voice of "I am willing to be a small envoy of friendship between China and the United States" and "China cheers on" crosses the ocean, and as more and more young people from China and the United States get to know each other, go hand in hand, these kind-hearted streams converge and flow in both directions, injecting fresh water into the future development of China US relations and helping the tree of friendship between the Chinese and American people grow lush and evergreen.

The relationship between China and the United States is not a multiple-choice question about whether to do well, but a must answer question about how to do well.The United States should also listen carefully to the voices of the people from both countries.

Chief Photographer: Pang Xinglei, Lu Binghui, Xie E, Wang Ping

Visual: Onion Painting Vision

Produced by the International Department of Xinhua News Agency