This year marks the 45th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between China and the United States. To celebrate this occasion, Chinese and US leaders sent messages to the 14th China-US Tourism Leadership Summit in Xi’an, Shaanxi province. Leadership summits such as these, especially when bilateral ties are strained or facing severe challenges, provide much-needed opportunities for people-to-people exchanges, which are vital to reducing misunderstandings.
Misunderstanding, misperception, and even fear are often based on unknowns. With our world becoming more complex and complicated by the day, we need to eliminate those unknowns with global understanding and friendship now more than ever before. China’s recent steps could help clear the unknown.
It is estimated that only 2 percent of the world’s population has traveled beyond their countries’ borders. At the same time, an increasing number of people throughout the world are realizing that we are stronger together. By collectively leveraging our knowledge and resources through better collaboration, we can all play an essential role in solving global problems ranging from climate change and poverty to health issues.
Addressing these global challenges, President Xi Jinping’s emphasis on “people-to-people diplomacy” to promote friendship between people and strengthen relationships among countries is timely. Further boosting the value of this diplomacy, the Chinese leader’s recent announcement of a new v.