Jeffrey Greene, a U.S. veteran pilot and chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, has highlighted the profound significance of an agreement between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump to enhance the relationship between the two countries.
His comments came after Xi successfully concluded his three-day state visit on Friday. During the visit, Xi and Trump agreed to build a constructive relationship of strategic stability based on respect, fairness and reciprocity.
According to Greene, the two countries must seek common ground while respecting their differences and work together based on mutual understanding.
"This is so important. The United States, the People's Republic of China, we must cooperate. We have a responsibility to all mankind that our two countries move forward with respect, understand each other, and cooperate moving forward. I'm encouraged that President Xi is focused so much on the American and the Chinese relationship. Our two countries are different, different systems. We understand we are different, but together we can do anything," Greens said during an interview with China Media Group (CMG) in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Saturday.
At the welcome banquet hosted by Trump, Xi recalled the shared history of China and the United States fighting side by side against fascism during World War II, with the Flying Tigers serving as a significant symbol of this bond.
The Flying Tigers, officially known as the American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force, which was formed in 1941 by U.S. General Claire Lee Chennault to help China in its fight against invading Japanese forces. More than 2,000 Flying Tigers airmen lost their lives in the war, and the Chinese people, at great personal cost, came to their aid, rescuing more than 200 pilots in distress while thousands of Chinese sacrificed their lives during the rescue operations.
Greene has spent much of his career promoting the legacy of the pilots. He expressed pride that President Xi highlighted this connection and hoped the spirit of the Flying Tigers, a microcosm of long-lasting friendship between the Chinese and American peoples, would be passed down through generations.
"I was very happy and I was very proud to see President Xi mentioned the relationship. As a historian, it's my view that is the most important moment of Sino-American relationships. These young Americans were doing everything they could to fight against the Japanese. The Chinese people had so much sacrifice. The relationship that grew between these American airmen and the Chinese people is a relationship that's never, it's never been matched anywhere. And it's not just helping somebody, it's humanity. Cooperating shows that no matter the circumstances, together they can win, together they can overcome and create and cooperate. To me, that is the most important lesson of the Second World War and of that relationship," Greene said.
Also during the visit, President Xi announced that China will invite 100,000 American young people to study and exchange experiences in China over the next five years.
Greene praised this pledge, noting that his own foundation is dedicated to encouraging the younger generation to carry forward the historical legacy of China-U.S. cooperation and to address new challenges together. To this end, the foundation launched the "Flying Tiger Friendship School and Youth Leadership Program."
"We initiated our Flying Tiger Friendship School program at the end of 1992. We started with a school in Las Vegas, Nevada, and we started in a school in Zhejiang and Hunan Provinces. We brought our first students. Right now, we have 17 states that our schools are in the United States. So when our students come, they learn about China. They get to interact with Chinese students. They're not just making friends, but they're learning how to cooperate. We want them to learn about each other. We want them to share that Flying Tiger legacy," Greene said.
Founded in 1998, the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation is an American civil friendship group aimed at promoting the study and commemoration of China-U.S. historical aviation events.
China, U.S. should seek common ground while reserving differences: veteran pilot
