Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

It is my pleasure to join you virtually for the 2026 Kuliang Forum. Let me extend my warm congratulations on this year's forum, sincere thanks to the organizers and heartfelt appreciation to all those who have long supported China-U.S. relations.

The bond with Kuliang is a touching story of friendship between our peoples, one that President Xi Jinping has personally championed. As President Xi has said, the hope of China-U.S. relations lies in the people, its foundation is in our societies, its future depends on the youth, and its vitality comes from subnational exchanges. Over the years, he has led by example in advancing friendship between our peoples.

In 1985, as Party Secretary of Zhengding County in Hebei Province, President Xi led a delegation to Iowa. He stayed with a local family in Muscatine, where he formed lasting friendships with people he had met. Since becoming President, he has often recalled those warm memories, written back to old friends, and sent them Chinese New Year cards. Today, Muscatine has truly become a city of friendship, and the home where President Xi stayed is known as the China-U.S. Friendship House.

In 1992, as Fuzhou's Party Secretary, President Xi came across a touching newspaper story about Kuliang. He personally arranged for Mrs. Elizabeth Gardner to visit China and fulfill her late husband's long-cherished wish. Today, the bond with Kuliang stands as a powerful symbol of friendship that spans oceans and generations.

In 2023, at a welcoming dinner hosted by American friendship organizations, President Xi recalled the moving history of China-U.S. people-to-people exchanges and announced an initiative to invite 50,000 young Americans to China over five years. The response was enthusiastic, and the goal was reached two and a half years ahead of schedule. 

This September, during his state visit to the United States, President Xi announced a new initiative to welcome 100,000 young Americans over the next five years, opening new doors for youth exchanges.

He has also warmly engaged with old friends, including Flying Tigers veterans, and stayed in touch with new friends, including a youth pickleball exchange delegation from Maryland that visited China. President Xi has truly been a steadfast champion, a driving force and a dedicated bridge-builder in advancing friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.

The friendship between our peoples is a growing source of strength for China-U.S. relations. The stories of our old friends continue to move and inspire us. From the bond with Kuliang and the Flying Tigers, to Dr. George Hatem, who saved lives during China's war against Japanese aggression and its years of peaceful development; from Ronald Sakolsky, whose generosity helped turn part of the Mu Us Desert green, to David Victor Plymire, who grew up in Huangyuan, Qinghai and has cherished it as his hometown ever since. Each of these friends has helped build a foundation of goodwill for China-U.S. relations.

Meanwhile, new friends are writing new chapters and taking our friendship to new heights. The One Voice Children's Choir sang We Are Together for their Chinese friends. More and more young students are building bridges through "pickleball diplomacy." And growing numbers of Americans are traveling to China, discovering what's cool about China, and sharing their China shopping finds online. They return home with wonderful memories of the warmth and hospitality of the Chinese people.

These quiet but enduring people-to-people connections provide constant momentum for the steady and sustained development of China-U.S. relations. Multiple respected polls show that American views of China are becoming more positive, with engagement and cooperation enjoying broad public support. Despite the ups and downs, China-U.S. relations have kept moving forward, with exchanges and cooperation in trade and other areas delivering practical results. At the heart of this progress is the shared hope of our peoples that our two countries will work together for mutual benefit and win-win results.

Dear Friends,

This has been a big year for China-U.S. relations. Our two presidents made historic reciprocal visits within just six months. They repeatedly emphasized the importance of people-to-people exchanges, providing strategic guidance for deeper friendship between our peoples. Looking ahead, they may meet twice more at the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and the G20 Summit, creating new opportunities to strengthen these ties.

This new era calls for more "Friends of Kuliang" and more friends of China-U.S. relations. Under the leadership of our two presidents, let us turn their shared understandings into action, and their handshakes into stronger bonds between our peoples across the Pacific.

Let us build bridges with sincerity, strengthen bonds through cooperation, and nurture the tree of China-U.S. friendship. May our friendship, like the thousand-year-old cedars of Kuliang, grow deep roots, flourish across generations, and stay evergreen through every season!

Thank you.