From April 20 to 25, Yang Wanming, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), led a delegation to visit Cleveland, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Des Moines, Iowa in the United States (US). He attended the 40th Anniversary Commemoration of President Xi Jinping's Historic 1985 Visit to Iowa, hosted by the Iowa Sister State Friendship Committee in Des Moines.

President Yang Wanming and Zhao Xinhai, Vice Governor of Hebei Province, delivered speeches at the commemorative event, respectively. Wang Baodong, Chinese Consul General in Chicago; Li Xiang, Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in the US; representatives from the governments of Shijiazhuang City and Zhengding County; Terry Edward Branstad, Founder of the US-China Green Institute and former US Ambassador to China; Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, President Emeritus of the World Food Prize Foundation; Grant Kimberley, Chairman of the Iowa Sister State Friendship Committee; and Sherill Whisenand, Chair of the Greater Des Moines Sister Cities Commission, among over 150 Chinese and American personalities from various sectors, attended the event.

(Attending the 40th Anniversary Commemoration of President Xi Jinping's Historic 1985 Visit to Iowa)

In his speech, President Yang Wanming stated that 40 years ago, President Xi Jinping led a delegation to visit Iowa for the first time, sowing the seeds of friendship. Over the past four decades, under President Xi Jinping's long-standing personal care and support, subnational and people-to-people exchanges between China and the US, represented by Hebei and Iowa, have yielded fruitful outcomes. President Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that the hope of the China-US relationship lies in the people, its foundation is in our societies, its future depends on the youth, and its vitality comes from exchanges at subnational levels. We should follow the friendly path pioneered by President Xi Jinping, continuously write new stories of mutual understanding between the two peoples, explore new dimensions of pragmatic cooperation, and compose a new chapter in the cause of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.

Zhao Xinhai noted that the friendly relationship between Hebei and Iowa has developed under the meticulous care of President Xi Jinping. Over the past 40 years, their friendly and pragmatic exchanges have steadily deepened, and the profound friendship between the peoples of the two places has stood the test of time, becoming a model of pragmatic cooperation at the subnational level between China and the US. Hebei will continue to strengthen friendly exchanges with Iowa, boost mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly write a new chapter of friendly exchanges between the peoples of the two countries and the two places in the new era.

Friendly personages from Iowa, such as Luca Berrone, Sarah Lande, Terry Edward Branstad, and Kenneth Quinn, fondly recalled the heartwarming scenes of President Xi Jinping's visits to Iowa in 1985 and 2012 during the commemorative event. Youth representatives from Hebei and Iowa shared their unforgettable experiences of mutual exchanges and visits. They unanimously expressed that the high attention and valuable support of President Xi Jinping for the cause of enhancing the friendship between the Chinese and American peoples are touching and admirable. They look forward to taking this commemorative event as an opportunity to continue strengthening exchanges and cooperation in areas such as sister cities, youth, and culture, and work together to create wonderful new stories of friendly exchanges between the peoples of the two countries.

During the event, youth representatives from Hebei and Iowa jointly presented a cultural performance. The event also featured diverse supporting activities, including a youth exchange photo exhibition and an intangible cultural heritage exhibition, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere on-site. Prior to the event, Yang met with President Xi Jinping's old friends in Iowa and friendly personages from all sectors of society. After the event, the Iowa Sister State Friendship Committee hosted a welcome banquet, attended by nearly 200 representatives from all sectors.

During his visit, President Yang also separately met with Frank Cownie, Mayor of Des Moines; Mike Matson, Mayor of Davenport; Blaine Griffin, President of the Cleveland City Council; Theresa Kail-Smith, Member of the Pittsburgh City Council; Chuck Keiper, CEO of the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council; Paul Hogle, President of the Cleveland Institute of Music; William Griswold, Director of the Cleveland Museum of Art; Clarissa von Spee, James and Donna Reid Curator of Chinese Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art; Anthony Yen, former Executive Director of the Greater Cleveland Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Su He, current Executive Director; Giuseppe Abrate, Worldwide Group President at Kemin Industries; Rick Kimberley, an Iowa farmer, along with the person in charge of the University of Pittsburgh's Chinese Tradition Scholarship Foundation and representatives from the Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Center. He also attended the signing ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the sister-city relationship between Shijiazhuang City and Des Moines.

(Top: Meeting with Mayor Frank Cownie of Des Moines and attending the signing ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the sister-city relationship between Shijiazhuang City and Des Moines; Bottom: Meeting with Mayor Mike Matson of Davenport)

(Top: Meeting with Blaine Griffin, President of the Cleveland City Council; Bottom: Meeting with Theresa Kail-Smith, Member of the Pittsburgh City Council)

During the meetings, President Yang Wanming stated that the CPAFFC attaches great importance to China-US subnational cooperation and cultural exchanges. Over the past 70-plus years since its establishment, the CPAFFC has established multi-level exchange mechanisms between Chinese and US provinces, states, and cities, and organized a wide range of exchange activities with rich contents, playing a positive role in enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of the two countries and promoting subnational exchanges and cooperation. The more difficulties China-US relations face, the more we need to tighten the bonds between the peoples and enhance communication between hearts. The CPAFFC is willing to further strengthen people-to-people friendship with all sectors in the US, enhance subnational cooperation and youth exchanges, increase mutual understanding, expand consensus on cooperation, and promote the steady, sound, and sustainable development of China-US relations.

(Top: Meeting with the Kimberley Farm family; Bottom left: Meeting with President Paul Hogle of the Cleveland Institute of Music; Bottom right: Meeting with Director William Griswold of the Cleveland Museum of Art and James and Donna Reid Curator of Chinese Art Clarissa von Spee)

US local government and council representatives expressed their willingness to support and continue participating in cooperation mechanisms such as China-US sister cities, deepen practical cooperation between sister cities of the two sides, and enhance the well-being of their peoples. Business community figures stated that trade wars and tariff wars are unsustainable and can lead nowhere, emphasizing that the United States and China should be partners, not competitors. As China's development brings opportunities to the world, they are willing to continue expanding investment in China. Representatives from foundations, universities, and cultural and art institutions expressed their readiness to continue advancing youth exchanges between the two countries, join the initiative of inviting 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programs, and constantly increase mutual understanding and friendship between the young generations of the two countries, thereby making active contributions to the improvement and development of China-US relations.