The desire of Chinese and Americans for exchanges and cooperation would not change regardless of how bilateral relations evolve, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) said in a reply to Iowa friends ahead of an expected meeting with US President Donald Trump in April, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
“The hope of US-China relations lies in the people,” Xi wrote on Monday in response to a Lunar New Year’s greeting from Iowa businessman Luca Berrone, whom he first met in May 1985 when he led a delegation from Hebei Province to its “sister state” of Iowa to learn about food production.
Xi in 2022 said in a Lunar New Year’s greeting to Sarah Lande, another friend from his Iowa trip, that the world required stability in US-China ties, which were strained during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo: Reuters
US-China relations had a tumultuous 2025, with Trump in October threatening to impose additional 100 percent tariffs on imports from China, but it also saw a revival in people-to-people ties as Trump’s threatened TikTok ban pushed American Internet users onto Chinese app Xiaohongshu (小紅書, also known in English as RedNote).
“Chinamaxxing,” or the online trend of adopting Chinese cultural habits, also surged in popularity among the US’ Gen Z, influenced by the growing perception of China as a technological superpower.
High-level bilateral ties appeared to stabilize after Xi-Trump talks in South Korea in October led to a one-year extension of a trade truce. Trump agreed to trim tariffs in exchange for Beijing committing to crack down on the illegal fentanyl trade, resume US soybean purchases and pause rare earth export controls.
The two then had a surprise phone call earlier this month that touched on Taiwan and other security issues.
Trump said that Xi also discussed how China would consider increasing its purchases of US soybeans, of which Iowa is a top producer.
Trump last month said he is planning to visit China in April, adding that Xi would travel to the US toward the end of the year.
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