China News Service, Beijing, September 24th: Question: How can the United States and China extend the list of cooperation between the two countries?
——Exclusive interview with Kenneth Quinn, Honorary Chairman of the World Food Prize Foundation
China News Service reporter Zeng Yue
The annual World Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Conference was recently held in Beijing. As co-chairman of the Conference Advisory Committee and 84-year-old Honorary Chairman of the World Food Prize Foundation, Kenneth M. Quinn (Kenneth M. Quinn) attended the conference for the fourth time. In an exclusive interview with China News Service's "East-West Question" in Beijing, this friend from Iowa, USA, said that participating in promoting US-China agricultural cooperation is his way of answering the question "Are China and the United States rivals or partners?" - he believes the answer is the latter.
In May this year, the heads of state of China and the United States held talks in Beijing and agreed to build a "constructive strategic and stable relationship between China and the United States" as the new positioning of Sino-US relations. What positive impacts will this positioning bring? How should the two countries manage differences and further extend the list of cooperation? Based on professional experience and personal experience, Quinn shared his observations and expectations.
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
China News Service reporter: Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, what has prompted you to travel to China again and again?
Kenneth Quinn: I first visited China in 1979, just a few months after the United States and China established diplomatic relations. When I stood on the Bund in Shanghai and looked at Pudong, there was almost nothing there. When I revisited my hometown in 2014, I saw numerous gleaming skyscrapers, from which I could most intuitively feel the great changes in China. So far, I have visited China more than 20 times in different capacities, and I have been fortunate enough to witness this history with my own eyes.
In 2004, I met Yuan Longping, the “father of hybrid rice” in China, because of the World Food Prize, and I have worked with him for more than ten years since then. He is humble and simple, and always studies hard. I often quote "One seed can change the world" when speaking to young people, hoping to inspire future generations to continue to advance in their studies and careers.
In the United States, Norman Borlaug, founder of the World Food Prize and Nobel Peace Prize winner, has a similar status to Yuan Longping. We can follow the example of these two scientists to promote cooperation between the United States and China. Our common goal is to eliminate hunger, help people in need, and ensure that sufficient food is available around the world. This is also the noble cause pursued by these two scientists. So when we talk about agriculture, we have to remember that this should be a collaboration and a partnership, not a confrontation where we are trying to outdo each other, fight with each other, compete with each other.
The United States and China need to build a constructive strategic and stable relationship. I believe that one of the best ways to achieve peace between the United States and China, and indeed world peace, is cooperation in the agricultural field.
In 2023, I listened to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s wonderful speech in San Francisco, USA. In his speech, he asked: "How can the giant ship of China-US relations avoid reefs and shoals, pass through strong winds and waves, and not yaw, stall, or collide? The first thing to answer is whether China and the United States are rivals or partners. This is a fundamental and management question."
This "problem" is the reason why I have insisted on coming to China to participate in conferences in recent years. Maintaining global food security requires the United States and China to become partners and support the development of Africa and other regions of the world through agricultural cooperation. I am convinced of this.
We need to abandon the thinking of seeing each other as opponents and competitors, and we cannot think that only one side of the two sides can win. This is not a game. The United States and China are the two most important technological powers in the world, and both countries have strong economic strength. We should give full play to these advantages, become partners, and work together.
Reporter from China News Service: This year marks the 43rd year that the state of Iowa in the United States and Hebei Province in China have established sister province-state relations. You played an active role in this, how do you feel about it? In your opinion, what significance does people-to-people exchanges have in promoting the establishment of a "constructive strategic and stable relationship between China and the United States"?
Kenneth Quinn: When it comes to U.S.-China relations, I often look back at history:
At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, boxes of masks were delivered to my home from Hebei. Doctors from local hospitals in Iowa drove hours to pick up a box of masks so that medical staff in the wards could be protected when dealing with this dangerous disease;
Dating back to World War II, when our national sovereignty was threatened and faced the risk of being lost, the United States and China fought side by side and were allies and partners...
People need to keep looking back at those positive and beautiful past events and tell these stories to more people. We have many wonderful things worth telling, and sometimes we need to stop, look back and remember where we came from.
Over the past 80 years, the world has generally maintained peace and continued to develop, creating conditions for mankind to achieve a series of breakthrough scientific achievements in aerospace, medicine, artificial intelligence and other fields. It is in a stable and peaceful environment that people can exchange ideas, inspire each other, and encourage each other to continue exploring and make new breakthroughs. The truth is obvious: peaceful collaboration is the way to go.
The more exchanges we have, the more we can enhance understanding, accumulate mutual trust and create more opportunities for cooperation. In November 2023, President Xi Jinping proposed the initiative of “inviting 50,000 American teenagers to come to China for exchange and study in five years”, and the expected goal has been achieved two and a half years ahead of schedule. I think we can also invite young government officials, young entrepreneurs and older people to participate in exchanges and work together to promote more positive changes.
Over the past 20 years, I have helped more than 100 American students come to China for exchanges, and I have also received more than 100 Chinese students for exchanges in the United States. Although this number is not large compared to the scale of 50,000 people, I am gratified that they all benefited a lot from it. Not only did they have the wonderful experience of understanding Chinese culture and interacting with Chinese people, but they also discovered that China has many places worth learning and sharing. These experiences allow them to think more deeply and broaden their horizons, which will also help their future career development.
We should expand exchanges, not reduce them. Just as "a seed can change a world," sometimes a conversation can change the world, and a spark of thought can ignite a prairie fire that drives positive change.
China News Service reporter: How do you view the positive impact of building a "constructive strategic and stable relationship between China and the United States"? Under this positioning, how should the two countries further extend their cooperation list?
Kenneth Quinn: In my opinion, since the meeting between the heads of state of the United States and China in May this year, the relationship between the two countries is developing in a positive direction. During their meeting, the two heads of state agreed to build a "constructive strategic and stable relationship between China and the United States" as the new positioning of bilateral relations. This is a very remarkable achievement. The bilateral relationship has remained constructive and strategically stable since then, bringing about the current sense of stability. We need to seize this opportunity and look at how we can continue to move forward and take the next step towards the future.
I think this positioning will lead to more exchanges of economic and trade delegations and explore more cooperation space and development opportunities in the field of agricultural economy. In a constructive, predictable and strategically stable environment, the prospects for cooperation between the two countries are very broad. Of course, we can do more. Cooperation cannot be limited to short-term trade exchanges and business decisions, but also requires a long-term perspective. The United States and China should embark on the path of partnership rather than confrontation.
As two great countries, the United States and China should deepen cooperation, expand exchanges, and allow more students, professors, and government officials to visit each other to jointly achieve the development of both countries. We should be partners in the cause of serving all mankind.
China News Service reporter: What are your expectations for the upcoming meeting between the heads of state of China and the United States?
Kenneth Quinn: The fact that the two sides can meet again shows that the United States and China are continuing to advance bilateral affairs. None of us wants the situation to change drastically and capriciously. Therefore, it is the ideal state to further consolidate the constructive, strategic and stable relationship between the two countries. (over)
