People-to-people exchanges key focus of ties

Promoting people-to-people friendship has been a key focus for the Chinese Consulate General in New York.

More than 300 people attended the reception at the consulate on Thursday night to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

"Over the past 75 years, China's development has become more solid, with GDP up by over 200 times," Consul General Huang Ping said in the speech, comparing how life has changed, from being a low-income country but now gradually developing to a middle-to-high income country.

He also highlighted the country's efforts in eliminating poverty, improving the social security system and delivering initial prosperity to people who were struggling to meet their basic living needs.

"If we choose the right path of development, we will not be afraid of mountains and rivers," Huang said. "If we get along with each other in the right way, we will not be afraid of ups and downs."

He added, "China and the US have established diplomatic relations (for) 45 years and there is never a shortage of paths to cross, but the two countries managed to overcome them."

During his six-year tenure in New York, Huang has participated in more than 400 events across 10 states within his consulate district, continually promoting people-to-people relations between China and the US.

Now, as he approaches retirement, Huang reflects on his work fostering these connections.

"Every moment was enjoyable and exciting. But if you ask me what I will be missing the most, that must be those vivid episodes of friendship between the two countries and the lovely friends I have met across sectors," the envoy said.

Huang shared moments watching a play in a New York theater, cheering for a March Madness game in the Ohio stadium and experiencing the cutting-edge design of a Massachusetts startup.

He also recalled the stories of Chinese and American soldiers and civilians fighting together to defend justice during wartime, adding that today, more people-to-people relationships are forged through food, music, education, culture and tourism.

"The hopes of (a) China-US relationship lies in the people," Huang said. "The China-US relationship is never an empty slogan but a concrete and tangible outcome and aspirations shared by the people of two countries. Such friendship is like a spring, a wire spring — the greater the pressure, the stronger force it will generate."

"As I speak, there are some young Americans who are packing their luggage full of curiosity and excitement about to embark on the trip to study in China," Huang said. He emphasized that more youth exchanges will be expected and China welcomes all people to come and explore.

Susan Elliott, CEO of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, or NCAFP, and a former diplomat, congratulated the founding of the PRC and hailed Huang's effort to promote informal talk between the two countries.

"We have had very strong, what we call strategic US-China Dialogue for many years," she said.

The NCAFP had brought colleagues, scholars and friends from Beijing or from other places in China to New York to maintain people-to-people and informal dialogue between the two countries.

Lamont Repollet, president of Kean University, stressed the importance of China-US educational corporation. The university is the only public university in the US that has a full campus, the Wenzhou-Kean University in Zhejiang province.

"The beauty of bringing young people together to exchange ideas and thoughts. ... It breaks down stereotypes," Repollet told China Daily. "Chinese and American cultures are different, but both are great for education, family and community."

He said that the people-to-people exchanges through education provide students on both sides a deeper understanding of each other's heritage and culture, facilitating understanding.

The consulate also held the award ceremony for "Traveling China: share your Chinese hashtag" and granted the awardees round-trip tickets from New York to China for future travel.

"When you actually go to a place, you see it for yourself and you realize that the news makes it seem a lot crazier on both sides… so people can go see China and realize that it's just a country and it's not what all of the news says, and I hope it goes back the same way to America," Andrew Cap, a popular English teacher on multiple social media platforms with millions of followers, told China Daily.

He is one of the recipients of the award. He said he believed that travel and tourism could promote understanding between two countries.

"Now that it's a little easier for Americans to go over,"said Patrick McClelland, who also received the award. "I hope that they can actually see real Chinese people speak with them, eat their food, learn about their culture and actually get an accurate picture of what Chinese life is really like."

mingmeili@chinadailyusa.com