It was in October 2023 that U.S. veteran pilot Harry Moyer, who turned 103 at the time, climbed the Great Wall in Beijing for the first time.
During World War II, Moyer bravely served alongside the Chinese in south China against Japanese aggression alongside the Flying Tigers, and eight decades later, he returned to China with a delegation of nearly 30 members made up of the families of the Flying Tigers veterans.
A member of the visiting delegation and the great-grandson of Flying Tigers veteran Clifford R. Long Sr., said of the Flying Tigers' spirit, "To me, the spirit of the Flying Tigers means friendship.".
He says, "When I go back to my hometown, I will tell my friends about my trip to China. I will show them the photos I took," said the 15-year-old with a beaming smile, bursting with excitement about his trip to the Great Wall in particular.
The Chinese President, Xi Jinping, at a welcome dinner held in San Francisco on Wednesday, said the stories of the Flying Tigers prove that the friendship between the Chinese and American peoples, which has survived the test of blood and fire, will be passed from generation to generation.
People are the key to the future of China-U.S. relations
The future of China-U.S. relations will be created by the people of both countries, Xi said, calling for more bridges to be built and roads to be paved to facilitate people-to-people contacts between the two countries.
There will be more measures taken by China and the United States in order to facilitate travel and promote people-to-people exchanges, including increasing direct passenger flights, holding a high-level dialogue on tourism, and streamlining visa application procedures, he said.
The Chinese leader expressed his hope that, in the new era, our two peoples will be able to make more visits, contacts, and exchanges and write new stories of friendship between them.
This year, Xi has met with U.S. guests, including former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Bill Gates, and has stressed that the hope of China-U.S. relations lies in the people, their foundation lies in their societies, the future of this relationship depends on the youth, and the vitality of this relationship is derived from subnational exchanges.
It was estimated that around 400 guests attended the welcome dinner, including Apple CEO Tim Cook and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
As Musk stated during his meeting with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in May, the relationship between the United States and China is not zero-sum. The two business tycoons have both visited China this year. Musk also expressed confidence in the Chinese market, and conveyed his willingness to strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit, and he expressed confidence in the Chinese market.
It is my pleasure to welcome more U.S. governors, members of Congress, and people from all walks of life to China," said Xi on Wednesday.
In order to increase exchanges between our peoples, especially between our youth, within the next five years, he announced that China is ready to invite 50,000 young Americans to China to be part of exchange and study programs.
In his speech, Xi said that China was ready to be a partner and friend of the United States.
There is plenty of room for win-win cooperation between the two parties
The Chinese President also stressed that win-win cooperation is a fundamental component of China-U.S. relations, noting that that both countries have plenty of room for cooperation, and are fully capable of helping each other succeed and achieve win-win outcomes.
In addition to the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by China, all of these initiatives are open to all countries at any given time, including the United States, he pointed out.
At the beginning of this week, Xi and Biden held a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, during which the two agreed to form a working group on counternarcotics in order to advance cooperation and assist the U.S. in tackling drug abuse.
The Chinese government sympathizes deeply with the American people, especially the young, as a result of the sufferings that have been caused by Fentanyl for so many years, according to Xi.
In addition, the two heads of state has also reached an important consensus on expanding bilateral exchanges in education, overseas students, youth, culture, sports, and between the business communities as well.
"If there is a great cause, it must be rooted in the people, it must gain strength from the people, and it must be achieved by the people, which is why growing China-U.S. friendship is such a great cause," Xi said at the welcome dinner.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-11-17/Envisioning-China-U-S-friendship-Xi-highlights-role-of-people-1oMzxr4Fe5W/index.html
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