Strengthening the public opinion foundation for cooperation between the two countries will bring more opportunities to China-US relations. Expanding the cake of win-win cooperation between the two sides is an important contribution to the development and prosperity of the world.
In the past year, China-US relations have overcome adverse risks and obstacles, eliminated various interferences, and stabilized the decline. In November 2023, the President and Biden held a China-US summit in San Francisco, opening up a "San Francisco Vision" for the future. The positive progress in Sino-US relations is closely related to the multi-level interaction between the two countries. For a period of time, people-to-people friendly personages, localities, and people from cultural and educational circles of the two countries have continued to write about the friendship between the two peoples and continue to promote practical cooperation. Facts have once again proved that people-to-people and people-to-people exchanges have always been the source of China-US relations, which is conducive to the steady development of bilateral relations.
The people of China and the United States are both industrious and great people, and the two countries have a long history of people-to-people exchanges and people-to-people exchanges. As Prime Minister *** pointed out in his toast at a banquet welcoming Nixon's visit to China on February 21, 1972: "The American people are great people. The Chinese people are great people. Our two peoples have always been friendly. "Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States 45 years ago, the two countries have carried out constructive cooperation in various fields and at multiple levels. Even at a time when the clouds are gathering over China-US relations, the friendship and close ties between the two peoples cannot be stopped by anyone. Last year, Bill Gates, Kissinger, Flying Tigers veterans and their descendants, university presidents, and other people from all walks of life in the United States visited China one after another, writing a new chapter in the friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.
As the world faces many challenges in the fields of climate change, sustainable development, technological change, health care, and nuclear non-proliferation, China and the United States should find more points of convergence of interests on the basis of people-to-people and people-to-people exchanges. In fact, China and the United States have cooperated well in these areas in the past, which has enhanced human well-being. In recent years, with the changes in the global geopolitical situation and the rise of domestic political and social contradictions in the United States, some people in the United States have become confused and anxious about the changes in their national strength, and their suspicion has increased, and cognitive biases have appeared, resulting in Sino-US relations falling into a low ebb. The increasing deficits in world peace, development, security, and governance, and the rising deficits in exchanges, understanding, and trust between China and the United States have brought uncertainty to the development of bilateral relations.
Strengthening people-to-people and people-to-people exchanges is an important way to make up for these deficits. **The President pointed out: "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. "In November last year, in his speech at the welcome banquet jointly held by the American friendship group, the chairman vividly recounted the history of Sino-US friendly exchanges, recalled the deep friendship with many American friends, pointed out that the foundation of China-US relations is poured by the people, the door of China-US relations is opened by the people, the story of China-US relations is written by the people, and the future of China-US relations is created by the people, emphasizing that China and the United States should pool the strength of the two peoples to continue China-US friendship and promote China-US relations. Strive to make greater contributions to the promotion of world peace and development. Recently, the U.S.-China Climate Action Working Group was launched, the third meeting of the U.S.-China Financial Working Group was held, the seventh meeting of the U.S.-China Joint Committee on Agriculture was held, and the U.S.-China Anti-Drug Cooperation Working Group was officially launched.
Although China and the United States have different histories, cultures, social systems, and development paths, the people of the two countries have similar concerns about a better life, environmental protection, food and drug safety, etc., which will help promote dialogue and policy coordination in relevant fields between the two countries. Strengthening the public opinion foundation for cooperation between the two countries will bring more opportunities to China-US relations. Expanding the cake of win-win cooperation between the two sides is an important contribution to the development and prosperity of the world.
Hong Kong is an international metropolis, a global financial center, and an international cultural exchange center, and can become a hub for studying China and global governance. The Centre for Contemporary China and the World at the University of Hong Kong will devote itself to exploring new patterns and new areas of China-US relations, and play a role as a think tank to promote the development of China-US relations. As a home for scholars to carry out interdisciplinary research and international cooperation, we are committed to building a new platform, a new bridge and a new hub to promote people-to-people and people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States, actively promote China-US academic exchanges, and help reduce differences and misunderstandings between the two countries.
The authors are founding directors and researchers at the Centre for Contemporary China and the World at the University of Hong Kong