Xiplomacy: Bringing a personal touch to Chinese diplomacy

The two first came to know each other in 1999, when Bacon visited East China's Fujian province and was received by Xi, then acting governor of the province. They hit it off immediately. Bacon described him as "extraordinary in demeanor," yet as kind and easy-going as an old friend.

In 2001, at Xi's invitation, Bacon led another delegation to Fujian. During the visit, after learning that Bacon was fond of the song "The Waves of Gulangyu," Xi presented a tape of the song as a gift to him. Bacon, in return, invited Xi to "take a walk and have a look" in Tasmania, and Xi gladly accepted the invitation.

However, this turned out to be the last time the two met. Bacon passed away in 2004 after an illness.

During Xi's visit to Tasmania in 2014, Bacon's family showed him photos taken during Bacon's visits to China. Seeing photos of the two of them, Xi said with emotion, "I also keep these photos."

For Xi, friendships like these are never bound by time or distance. He has long attached great importance to people-to-people friendship and closer bonds between peoples, emphasizing that amity between the people holds the key to sound relations between countries, and the people are the cornerstone of the growth of state-to-state relations.

This year marks the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Laos, as well as the China-Laos Friendship Year. The China-Laos Railway, a key driver of bilateral trade, economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, is also celebrating its fifth year of operation.

Carrying the Lao people's aspiration to transform their country from a landlocked nation into a land-linked hub, the railway stands as a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Xi. It is also a testament to the enduring friendship and close personal ties cultivated by the leaders of China and Laos over the years.