China News Service, September 26. Title: In the White House, Xi Jinping mentioned a tree and a forest
On the evening of September 24, local time, President Xi Jinping, who was on a state visit to the United States, talked about a tree and a forest at the welcome banquet held at the White House.
The story of a tree happened more than 50 years ago.
In 1972, then-U.S. President Richard Nixon visited China and started the process of normalizing Sino-U.S. relations. That year, Nixon gave China redwood saplings from California as a gift.
President Xi Jinping said, “The redwood trees that were a special national gift from President Nixon were planted in Zhejiang Province where I worked.”
In today's Hangzhou Botanical Garden, the North American redwood saplings donated by Nixon have grown into strong and tall trees, and the bred saplings have taken root in many provinces and cities in China.
The story of a forest begins more than 20 years ago.
In 1999, American Sykas raised US$5,000 to support Chinese sand control researcher Yin Yuzhen to plant trees. Not long ago, Sykas returned to China's Mu Us Sandy Land and saw with his own eyes the lush "Saikos Forest". US$5,000 turned into a forest of ten thousand acres.
President Xi Jinping said, "This story touched many Chinese people and is an example of friendly exchanges between the people of China and the United States."
From the redwood trees in the Hangzhou Botanical Garden to the "Sekos Forest" in Mu Us Sandy Land, looking back at the two stories about "planting trees", we can gain insight into the ups and downs of Sino-US relations over the past half century, taking root and growing; and facing the future, we can also see from the stories the inspiration for the tree of Sino-US friendship to have deep roots, luxuriant leaves and strong growth.
The tree of Sino-US friendship needs to be planted in fertile soil and firmly rooted.
The story of Sekos and Yin Yuzhen reflects the two-way flow of goodwill between Chinese and American people.
"The hope of China-US relations lies in the people, the foundation lies in the people, the future lies in the youth, and the vitality lies in the localities." This is a sentence that President Xi Jinping has emphasized many times.
During this visit to the United States, President Xi Jinping once again emphasized that the hope of Sino-US relations lies in the people and the future lies in the youth, and announced that "in the next five years, China will invite 100,000 American teenagers to come to China for exchange and study."
From "50,000 in five years" to "100,000 in five years", the tree of Sino-US friendship can only grow better if it continues to take root downwards.
The tree of friendship between China and the United States needs pruning and cutting of leaves and straightening of seedlings.
China and the United States have different situations, and it is inevitable that there will be some differences. However, through candid, in-depth, and sustained dialogue, we can enhance understanding, seek common ground while reserving differences, and accumulate mutual trust.
During this visit to the United States, President Xi Jinping repeatedly talked about the new positioning of the relationship between the two countries as a "constructive strategic and stable relationship between China and the United States" and emphasized that "we should work towards a direction where cooperation is the mainstay, competition is moderate, differences are controllable, and peace is achievable, and we will find a correct way for the two major countries to get along with each other."
The "correct way to get along" here is the key to the tree of Sino-US friendship standing in the wind and growing toward the sun.
The tree of friendship between China and the United States needs to be watered little by little and persevered.
Whether it is the tall and straight North American redwoods or the "Saikos forest" used to control desertification and plant green trees, they are all growth processes accumulated over time.
In 2017, when President Xi Jinping met with US President Trump in Beijing, he said that people-to-people and cultural exchanges are "a long-term cause where the predecessors plant trees and the descendants enjoy the shade."
In May of this year, during a small-scale meeting between the heads of state of China and the United States in Zhongnanhai, Beijing, President Xi Jinping said something deeply while walking among the vigorous and tall ancient trees: "Show life, show history. Standing here will sublimate our spirit."
The important discussions elaborated in different scenarios contain profound principles for developing relations between major powers.
During this visit to the United States, President Xi Jinping emphasized that building a constructive strategic and stable relationship between China and the United States is not a quick fix, nor can it be accomplished overnight. “Don’t do good deeds because they are small, and don’t do evil things because they are small.” “Implement the consensus reached by both parties with the spirit of nailing”...
The tree of friendship between China and the United States requires tenacity and action that will last for a long time.
｜Chief Planner: Yu Lan
｜Planner: Zhou Rui
｜Coordinator: Ma Xueling
｜Written by: Kan Feng Gao Meng
｜Proofreading: Sun Jingbo Li Jingtong
|Visual: Zhang Jianyuan Ni Wenbing
｜Produced by the "Xi Yan Dao" studio of China News Network
