Sarah Lande said that the friendship between the two peoples plays a vital role in the stability and development of U.S.-China relations. For friends in Iowa, the 41-year bond with Xi is especially precious. "We are passing the friendship on," she said.

BEIJING, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- During the Spring Festival marking the Year of the Horse, the small U.S. city of Muscatine, Iowa, once again received holiday greetings from Beijing.

On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote back to friends in the U.S. state of Iowa and sent them a Chinese New Year card extending his festive wishes, saying that the hope of the China-U.S. relationship lies in the people, its foundation is in the societies, its future depends on the youth, and its vitality comes from exchanges at subnational levels.

In Muscatine, the Iowa friends and young Americans expressed appreciation for Xi's warm wishes and said they were moved by the sincerity of his message. They voiced a shared commitment to deepening friendship between the Chinese and American peoples and to supporting the steady and healthy development of bilateral ties.

NEW YEAR GREETINGS FROM ACROSS OCEAN

Recalling his visit to Iowa 41 years ago, Xi said he was warmly received, and those wonderful memories remain fresh in his mind to this day.

Earlier, Luca Berrone wrote a letter to Xi on behalf of the Iowa friends, extending Chinese New Year's greetings to Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan. In his letter, Berrone said that the Iowa friends cherish and will continue to develop the friendship with the Chinese people.

Berrone, along with Sarah Lande, Gary Dvorchak, Rick Kimberley, former U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad, President Emeritus of the World Food Prize Foundation Kenneth Quinn, as well as teachers and students from Iowa who participated in the "50,000 in 5 Years" Initiative, also sent a Chinese New Year card to Xi and his wife, expressing their willingness to promote friendly exchanges between the two countries and contribute to the development of bilateral ties.

Berrone noted that exchanging Spring Festival greetings through cards and carrying forward the deep friendship between local friends and Xi would further strengthen Iowa's friendly ties with China.

From replying to students from Muscatine High School delegation visiting China and sending Spring Festival greeting cards during the Lantern Festival of 2024, to returning New Year cards to the Iowa friends ahead of the Spring Festival in 2025, and to this year's festive exchange, Xi has on many occasions revisited the friendships he forged with the American people since his first visit to the United States in 1985.

In 1985, Xi, then an official of Zhengding County, Hebei Province, led a delegation to visit Muscatine, where Lande, Berrone and others took part in the reception.

In November 2023, Xi met with representatives of U.S. friendship groups, including Lande, before attending a welcome banquet in San Francisco. In his remarks, he recalled with emotion his first visit to the United States.

"And it comes from the great experience he had over 40 years ago. So the fact that that is still in his heart, and he remembers it, and he cares about those people, and they care about him, (is) very heartwarming," said Dvorchak, a local friend of Xi.

When Xi visited Iowa in 1985, he stayed with Dvorchak's parents. This year, Dvorchak and his family members signed the Chinese New Year greeting card to Xi. He said that at first, it was "more of the old friends, a little bit smaller circle. But a lot of people in Iowa wanted to send greetings to the president."

"It was distributed very broadly this year, and so maybe 40 or 50 people from Iowa were signing it," said Dvorchak.

In his reply letter, Xi warmly encouraged friends in Iowa to remain committed to promoting friendship between the people of the two countries, encouraging more young Americans to be inheritors of China-U.S. friendship and promoters of peace and amity, so as to make greater contributions to the development of China-U.S. relations.

Dan Stein, chairman of the Muscatine-China Initiatives Committee, noted that Xi's greetings were encouraging, "It means a lot and it gives us the energy to keep working hard to do what we do here in Muscatine."

PASSING ON FRIENDSHIP

Regardless of how the situation evolves, the desire of the Chinese and American peoples for exchanges and cooperation will not change, Xi said in the letter, adding that the bonds of mutual understanding and affinity between the youth of the two countries will not change.

Lande voiced strong agreement, saying that friendship between the two peoples plays a vital role in the stability and development of U.S.-China relations. For friends in Iowa, the 41-year bond with Xi is especially precious. "We are passing the friendship on," she said.

During his 2023 visit to San Francisco, Xi announced an initiative to invite 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programs over a five-year span.

Shortly after, Lande wrote to Xi, expressing hope that Muscatine High School students could join the program.

In his reply, Xi welcomed and encouraged more American youth to have a glimpse of a real China in a multi-dimensional and comprehensive manner and build more bridges of close affinity between the two peoples.

Stein said that since the launch of the "50,000 in 5 Years" Initiative, many American youths have embraced the "tremendous opportunity" to experience China and carry forward friendship, "a good way to learn about each other," which is beneficial for China-U.S. relations and the world as a whole.

For Berrone, "there are no secrets in our friendship, just the willingness and expectation of being friends, of respecting each other, of learning from each other."

"The initiative has been so successful because it represents an opening opportunity to travel to China and witness first hand what China has to offer," he said, adding, "Establishing new friendships has been probably the most meaningful and rewarding aspect."

To date, over 40,000 U.S. youth have actively participated in the initiative. For student Charlie, the trip to China broadened his vision.

"I am so glad I was able to have the opportunity to go on this trip and meet so many great people. Everyone I met was very nice and kind," said Charlie.

Letters were sent to Xi by American youth who took part in the "50,000 in 5 Years" Initiative, describing their visits to China and sharing their feelings.

This fully demonstrates that fostering friendly exchanges and cooperation is the shared aspiration of the people of both China and the United States, Xi wrote in one of the reply letters which was to a U.S. youth education exchange delegation in January.

"I want to extend my dearest gratitude to you (President Xi) for allowing me to understand and experience your home! It was the experience of a lifetime... I felt my heart was truly touched," said student Avery.