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.
Australians were downloading virtual private networks (VPNs) in droves, while one of the world’s largest porn distributors said it was blocking users from its platforms as the country yesterday rolled out sweeping online age restriction. Australia in December became the first country to impose a nationwide ban on teenagers using social media. A separate law now requires artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot services to keep certain content — including pornography, extreme violence and self-harm and eating disorder material — from minors or face fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$34.6 million). The country also joined Britain, France and dozens of US states requiring
Hungarian authorities temporarily detained seven Ukrainian citizens and seized two armored cars carrying tens of millions of euros in cash across Hungary on suspicion of money laundering, officials said on Friday. The Ukrainians were released on Friday, following their detention on Thursday, but Hungarian officials held onto the cash, prompting Ukraine to accuse Hungary’s Russia-friendly government of illegally seizing the money. “We will not tolerate this state banditism,” Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said. The seven detained Ukrainians were employees of the Ukrainian state-owned Oschadbank, who were traveling in the two armored cars that were carrying the money between Austria and
Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani on Friday after dissolving the Kosovar parliament said a snap election should be held as soon as possible to avoid another prolonged political crisis in the Balkan country at a time of global turmoil. Osmani said it is important for Kosovo to wrap up the upcoming election process and form functional institutions for political stability as the war rages in the Middle East. “Precisely because the geopolitical situation is that complex, it is important to finish this electoral process which is coming up,” she said. “It is very hard now to imagine what will happen next.” Kosovo, which declared
MORE BANS: Australia last year required sites to remove accounts held by under-16s, with a few countries pushing for similar action at an EU level and India considering its own ban Indonesia on Friday said it would ban social media access for children under 16, citing threats from online pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud and Internet addiction. “Accounts belonging to children under 16 on high-risk platforms will start to be deactivated, beginning with YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox,” Indonesian Minister of Communications and Digital Meutya Hafid said. “The government is stepping in so that parents no longer have to fight alone against the giants of the algorithm. Implementation will begin on March 28, 2026,” she said. The social media ban would be introduced in stages “until all platforms fulfill their
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