Xi's visit 38 years ago offers fond memories

As his visit to San Francisco reached its crescendo on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping reminisced twice in a single day about his inaugural visit to the United States in 1985.

In the morning, following a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, US President Joe Biden showed a photo in his phone with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background to President Xi and inquired, "Do you know this young man?"

"Yes," Xi replied. "That was me 38 years ago."

San Francisco was the first stop on Xi's initial trip to the US. Much like any other city visitor, Xi had his picture taken with the Golden Gate Bridge as the backdrop.

At that time, Xi, in his early 30s, was a county leader of Zhengding in China's northern province of Hebei.

"You haven't changed a bit!" said Biden with a chuckle, drawing a burst of cheerful laughter. Amid such lighthearted ambience, the two leaders stepped into the banquet hall together.

Later in the evening, at a welcome dinner hosted by friendly organizations in the US, Xi once again recollected the trip. "During my first visit to the United States, I stayed at the Dvorchaks in Iowa," he said. "I still remember their address — 2911 Bonnie Drive."

That trip to the US made a profound impression on Xi, as it afforded him genuine insight into the American people.

He found that although the two countries are different in history, culture and social systems and have embarked on different development paths, the two peoples are both kind, friendly, hardworking and down to earth. They both love their countries, families and lives, and both are friendly toward each other and are interested in each other.

Amid the recent downturn in China-US relations, the Chinese leader has been pondering: How to steer the giant ship of China-US relations clear of hidden rocks and shoals, navigate it through storms and waves without getting disoriented, losing speed or even having a collision?

In the process of seeking an answer, his experiences from 38 years ago once again provided him with enlightenment.

"It is the convergence of many streams of goodwill and friendship that has created a strong current surging across the vast Pacific Ocean; it is the reaching out to each other by our peoples that has time and again brought China-US relations from a low ebb back onto the right track," Xi said in the speech at the welcome dinner.

XINHUA — CHINA DAILY