"Friendship and cooperation are of great significance to the people of the United States and China"

The US China relationship is one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world, "said Luca Bellon, a board member of the Iowa Friendship Council, in a recent interview with our reporter." From the perspective of economic development and human progress, the US China relationship cannot be 'decoupled' in any way, nor can it be 'decoupled'. Maintaining sustained exchanges is the foundation for stabilizing and improving the US China relationship

In 1985, Xi Jinping, the then Secretary of Zhengding County Committee in Hebei Province, led a delegation to inspect Iowa, known as the "granary of the United States". At that time, the young Beilong participated in the reception and accompanied the Chinese delegation to visit multiple places. This unique experience and the friendships formed during the process will be unforgettable for Belon, and he still retains the itinerary he made for the delegation back then. For many years, Beilong has actively engaged in people to people exchanges between the United States and China. I hope children can see from the stories of our generation that the friendly exchanges between the two peoples can continue. "He said that the more he visited various parts of China and talked to Chinese friends, the more he could appreciate President Xi Jinping's deep thoughts and care for deepening mutual understanding and friendly exchanges between the Chinese and American people. I think this is also the way our generation passes on the torch of friendship to the next generation, "Beilong said.

In November 2023, President Xi Jinping announced the initiative of inviting 50000 American teenagers to China for exchange and learning in the next five years in San Francisco, USA. In Belon's view, this initiative is a "real effort" to promote people to people exchanges between the United States and China. American students were invited to visit China, taking a meaningful step towards increasing mutual understanding. Over the past year, many American teenagers have actively responded to and participated in this initiative, visiting and exchanging ideas in China, including many students from Iowa. In Bellon's view, this gives young Americans the opportunity to visit China, explore common interests, understand cultural similarities and differences, and continue to develop friendships between each other. With more and more such exchanges, the scale of exchanges between the two countries will gradually expand, and the US China relationship will continue to develop.

I want to tell young people that the seeds sown by President Xi Jinping's trip to the United States 40 years ago have grown into a tree of friendship between the United States and China. Friendship and cooperation are of great significance to the people of the two countries, "Beilong said." The development of US China relations requires the joint efforts of the two peoples. "Most importantly, the people of the United States and China have the willingness and opportunity to exchange ideas, share stories and experiences, and benefit from cooperation with each other

In recent years, Beilong has been committed to promoting cooperation in agriculture and other fields between the United States and China. Beilong said that he still vividly remembers his previous visit to Hebei, which is his "hometown in China", and the development of Xiong'an New Area is refreshing. He hopes to create more opportunities for exchanges and cooperation, so that more Americans can experience China's development personally.

As a participant and witness in the development of US China relations, I will strive to promote more exchanges between the two countries to enhance understanding, avoid misunderstandings, and promote better development of US China relations. I look forward to more round-trip flights between the US and China in the future, and deeper people to people exchanges between the two countries, "said Belon.

People's Daily (January 7, 2025, Issue 03)