Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng quoted lines from domestic animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" in his speech delivered at the 20th anniversary gala of the China General Chamber of Commerce-USA (CGCC) in New York City on Tuesday.
Themed "Building Connections and Creating Opportunities", the celebration, which gathered 300 senior executives, government officials, and thought leaders, commemorated two decades of the CGCC's unwavering commitment to expanding cooperation and opportunities between the U.S. and Chinese business communities.
In his keynote speech, the ambassador quoted the lines as a call to the business communities of both countries to carry forward the entrepreneurial spirit of pioneering and fighting in order to boost confidence, and promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-U.S. economic and trade relations.
"This Spring Festival holiday witnessed the Chinese economy brimming with vigor. Consumption kicked off to a strong start, the box office revenue set new milestones. The movie, 'Ne Zha 2', tickets for most overseas screenings have already sold out even before the release. In the movie, Ne Zha famously declared 'I am the master of my own destiny'," said Xie.
Animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" became the first Chinese film to gross 10 billion yuan (about 1.39 billion U.S. dollars) when its total global earnings, including presales, reached the mark on Thursday evening, according to data from ticketing platform Maoyan.
Chinese ambassador to US quotes lines from "Ne Zha 2" at CGCC gala
Thai and Cambodian leaders must find a way to resolve their differences through talks and not on the battlefield, according to a former Thai foreign minister, who also believes China could be in a unique position to serve as a mediator given its strong ties with both sides.
Border clashes between the two sides have reignited since Dec 7 -- less than two months after the two sides signed a joint peace declaration -- with both trading the blame for instigating the attacks.
The latest round of fighting has left at least 19 Thai soldiers and 19 Thai civilians dead, with over 270,000 people displaced, Thailand's defense ministry announced on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, on the same day, the Cambodian Defense Ministry said that 17 civilians have been killed and 77 injured as the Thai military forces have continued airstrikes and artillery shelling into Cambodian territory, with over 438,000 individuals fleeing their homes.
With the two sides continuing to point the finger of blame and trade accusations of attacks on civilians, peace talks appear to be a long way off.
Kasit Piromya, who formerly served as Thailand's Minister of Foreign Affairs, urged the two countries' leaders to put people first, set aside their pride and find a resolution.
"The people must be the priority, not the victory or losses or the battlefield. It's detrimental and destructive to all. It is easy to arouse the passion, but [the sign of] great leaders, great statesmen is to be able to overcome the nationalistic sentiment and come back to the sense and sensibility and to start to talk with one another," he said.
China has called for utmost restraint and every possible measure conducive to a ceasefire to ensure de-escalation of tensions as soon as possible, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman told a daily press briefing on Monday.
China supports direct dialogue and consultation between the two countries, as well as the efforts of ASEAN -- and Malaysia, in particular -- to promote peace talks, and the pursuit of a mutually acceptable solution within the ASEAN framework, according to the spokesman.
Piromya said he believes China could play a constructive role in a peace process between the two sides.
"China has been having, I think, more or less an excellent bilateral relationship respectively with Thailand and Cambodia. So China is in a very unique and great position to bring the two sides, Cambodia and Thailand, together," Piromya said.
Former official urges Thailand, Cambodia to make people priority, end border clashes
