Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, has highlighted how friendships between the people of China and the United States can grow deeper and endure no matter what happens at the geopolitical level.
The two countries are set for high-level engagement, with Chinese President Xi Jinping to pay a state visit to the United States from Sept. 23 to 25 at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump.
In a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) via video link, Orlins recalled the story of an American teacher that he says illustrates how people-to-people ties can take root, grow and flourish over time.
Retired American teacher Ronald Sakolsky donated 5,000 U.S. dollars to Chinese anti-desertification pioneer Yin Yuzhen 27 years ago, helping her family plant tens of thousands of trees in the Maowusu Sandy Land in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and turn barren dunes into a forest. ： "We did the teachers' exchange program where we sent American teachers to China for decades. And now you can say that he planted the tree. The tree has grown and become a forest. And that's a perfect metaphor from the benefits that people-to-people relationship brings, so that it's initially, it's quite surface. Then it grows deeper and then it kind of flowers into this deep relationship that no matter what goes on at the geopolitical level, the relationship remains," said Orlins.
Orlins also drew a parallel between personal friendships and the broader relationship between the two countries. He noted that he and Tian Wei, the CGTN host conducting the interview, have gotten to know each other much better during his many years advocating for U.S.-China relations.
"Our relationship could be a kind of a metaphor for everything. You and I are now friends. We met many, many years ago. You know, it was skin-deep. We've now become friends over these decades. And that's true of all sorts of Americans and Chinese. No matter what the governments do, the friendships remain strong. And I think there's a cultural affinity, there's a natural affinity between Chinese and Americans. And I don't think that can be blocked by the government. I think the government needs to work to keep the channels open," he said.
US-Chinese friendships show power of people-to-people ties: relations committee head
Students from U.S. universities have expressed profound excitement after receiving a reply letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping, vowing to deepen friendly ties and cultural exchanges with China. Recently, nearly 100 students from Harvard University and nine other U.S. universities wrote to Xi, sharing their experiences and what they had gained from the Future Makers 2026 China-U.S. Youth Tour for a Shared Asia-Pacific Future and other exchange events in China, and expressing their willingness to contribute to promoting China-U.S. friendship.
A reply has arrived, just before Xi's state visit to the United States.
In his letter, Xi welcomed the students' appreciation for Chinese civilization, their hope for friendly cooperation between China and the United States, and their willingness to act as envoys of friendship bridging the Pacific Ocean.
Noting that young people from both countries share the same planet Earth and jointly shoulder the mission of the times, Xi urged them to advance China-U.S. friendly cooperation, foster mutual understanding and affinity between the two peoples, and contribute the vitality of youth to building a better world.
After returning from their trip, students at Central Michigan University agreed that they had come home with a renewed perspective. Now that they had actually set foot in China, what they saw was more concrete than what they had previously learned from the classroom, books, or the internet.
"I've only really learned a lot about China in class through my studies, through books, and actually going there to experience China was completely different. You never really know what a culture is like until you go and experience it yourself. So going there and actually stepping on the ground and talking to people and learning about their lives was just so much more than I could ever have learned in a book," said Kiana Haywood, a senior student at Central Michigan University.
"When I got there, I learned that we were all actually very much more similar than we thought. We found that American and Chinese students were so unbelievably closely related. We found that we have the same humor. We have the same stress. We share so many things in common that we had just not known about," said Kevin Baker, a sophomore at Central Michigan University.
Since President Xi launched an initiative to invite 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programs over a five-year span in November 2023, over 50,000 young Americans have visited China, achieving the target two and a half years ahead of schedule.
The university students recognized that the initiative had helped bring their exchange trip to China into reality, so they wrote to Xi, hoping to express their gratitude and to let the Chinese president know what the experience had meant to them.
"I think doing what we are doing right now and just kind of spreading that message, really emphasizing the importance of programs like these," said Grace, another student from Central Michigan University.
"We wrote a letter because we kind of want to just help him realize like how amazing the experience was that we were able to participate in and just tell him we need more opportunities like these," said Haywood.
Xi's reply encouraged the students to continue seeking exchanges, building on the experience they had through the program. That message resonated deeply with the participants.
"I think the part where he talked about how important it is to continue this exchange, and that made me think about the students that we met and making sure we continue the friendships that we built on this trip because I was the whole point of the trip, really getting to experience each other's culture," said Grace.
Speaking of the meeting between the two heads of state, the American students said they hope it will promote more exchanges between the two countries.
"I think it's going to be a really great opportunity, especially because we can continue talks about a shared future between our two nations, especially because with how the world is, we do really want to have that strong connection to other nations right now," Baker said.
U.S. students vow to deepen friendly ties with China after receiving Xi's reply letter
