The Chinese Embassy in the United States hosted a reception in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, with attendees taking the opportunity to urge for greater cooperation between the two countries.
The event, held one day ahead of China's official National Day on Oct 1, drew more than 800 guests, including representatives from the White House, the State Department and Commerce Department, as well as representatives from various sectors and foreign diplomats.
It also came just days after Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up a three-day state visit at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump.
During his address at the embassy reception, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Xie Feng highlighted how this year also marks the opening year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), a key blueprint mapping out the country's development priorities.
He said China is striding forward on the new journey of building a strong nation and achieving national rejuvenation, continuously providing stability and positive energy to the world.
Xie also noted there is vast room for China-U.S. cooperation to grow, and said the two countries should work together to promote mutual benefits and win-win outcomes for the world.
Among the special guests at the event was Ronald Sakolsky, a retired American teacher who recently completed an emotional trip to China, where he was reunited with tree-planting pioneer Yin Yuzhen, a local villager who has been widely hailed for her environmental protection efforts in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Back in 1999, Sakolshy, who was then working as a teacher in central China, raised 5,000 U.S. dollars to support Yin in her fight against desertification -- a gift that has since grown into more than 50,000 trees. The pair were last month reunited after 26 years, with their story becoming a celebrated symbol of people-to-people friendships between the two sides.
"China is going in the right direction and I think America and China can share ideas to help both countries head into the future and make it bright for everyone, especially our young people. I want to tell the Chinese people to have an awesome Chinese National Day, [as this year's anniversary marks] 77 years. And I want to say from the bottom of my heart that if it wasn't for the Chinese people's kindness, I would not be standing here, so thank you very much," said Sakolsky.
Meanwhile, many others at the reception also shared their views on China's startling pace of development and its global significance.
"What impressed me most is the speed with which China has made their development process. This has changed the world. It has created a situation where many, many countries all over the developing sector now realize that they can move in the direction that China has done: investing in science and technology, investing in their industry," said William Jones, Washington Bureau Chief for the Executive Intelligence Review (EIR).
"We've always learned so much from the people in China and so we also really admire you and look at the unbelievable changes that have happened in China over these last years. It's pretty amazing," said another attendee.
Chinese Embassy in Washington hosts reception marking 77th anniversary of PRC founding
