Harvard dean pushes to strengthen Sino-US ties

Graham Allison, a renowned political scholar from the United States and founding dean of the Harvard Kennedy School, called for sustained efforts to stabilize and improve China-US relations, saying a stable and improving bilateral relationship is "good news for all of us".

Accompanied by Wang Linggui, chairman of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, Allison toured the special exhibition Tales of People-to-People Bonds Between China and the US at the Overseas Chinese History Museum of China in Beijing on Saturday.

Allison, known for coining the concept of the "Thucydides Trap", said the entire bilateral agenda, from top-level leadership to grassroots exchanges, would benefit from more direct interaction.

During his visit, Allison carefully examined historical photographs, documents and artifacts tracing centuries of exchanges between the Chinese and American peoples.

He said the collection serves as a reminder that the two peoples have long engaged with each other in constructive ways.

"As the museum suggests, we are people-to-people — Americans and Chinese have engaged with each other. There's a long history of successful contributions to a better world," he said.

However, Allison expressed concern over the recent decline in people-to-people exchanges, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that the number of American students studying in China and Chinese students studying in the US has dropped significantly.

"I think that's bad, and I think the aspiration to get back to where we were before — and even beyond that — is a good lesson for all of us," he said. He stressed that direct engagement — whether among students, academics, businesspeople or ordinary visitors — is far more effective than speculation.

"Almost all those disagreements are better handled by people talking to each other and understanding each other, rather than imagining what the other might be doing, or might be thinking or might be saying," he added.

Asked about the historical memory of China and the US fighting side by side during World War II, Allison pointed to the shared sacrifice in the fight against fascism.

"Remember the Flying Tigers," he said. "Remember how much of the burden of the war China bore before the Americans entered the war." He said neither country might have defeated Japan alone and described that history as "a good reminder" of the value of cooperation.

Before leaving the museum, Allison wrote in the guestbook:"An amazing and inspiring collection that reminds us of the many ways Chinese and American working together can make both nations greater and contribute to a more peaceful and prosperous world."

The exhibition systematically traces the history of friendly exchanges between the peoples of China and the US since the founding of the nation in 1776.

The 100 artifacts on display include gold-mining tools, railroad spikes, agricultural implements, documents, newspapers, dining utensils, medals commemorating the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and personal belongings of notable figures, offering a window into the centuries-old bonds between the two nations.

zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn