New York seminar calls for closer ties between people of China, US

Participants in a seminar on China-US relations called for stronger people-to-people exchanges and greater mutual understanding as they shared their personal stories.

Chinese Consul General in New York Chen Li, who hosted the event in New York on Wednesday, began by underscoring what brings China and the United States together.

"China and the US differ in many ways. But before nationality, political systems or other labels, we are all human beings," Chen said.

Chen recalled the story of Ronald Sakolsky, who worked in China as an English teacher. In 1999, he raised $5,000 for Yin Yuzhen, a farmer fighting desertification in the Maowusu Desert in northern China. Yin used the money to buy tree seedlings. Sakolsky could hardly have imagined that 27 years later, those seedlings would have grown into a forest.

Chen pointed to the bigger picture: "The root of China-US relations is in the hearts of our people. When the root is deep, our relationship can survive any storm."

"China-US relations would not have come this far without the goodwill and perseverance of countless ordinary people," Chen said. "We need more people to tell these stories, so that the genuine exchanges and friendships between the Chinese and American peoples can be seen and heard."

That theme was echoed in a panel discussion, where four participants shared their personal experiences spanning education, business, film and the shared history of the two countries.

From Zhang Yimou's film Red Sorghum to his own family history, China has long inspired Michael Young. His parents were scholars of Chinese history, and he spent part of his childhood in Taiwan. Today, as president and CEO of the New York Film Academy, Young has built ties with Chinese film and educational institutions.

Young said about half of NYFA's students are international, and the school has brought together students from China and other countries since its first class in 1992.

'A unifier'

"When you bring students, filmmakers or artists together from different cultures and backgrounds, there's great interest in each other," he said, adding that film, media and the performing arts can serve as "a unifier" and help bring the peoples of China and the United States closer.

Young said the shared history of the Flying Tigers offers filmmakers from both countries stories to explore together. NYFA faculty member Bill Einreinhofer, for example, worked with Chinese and US students and filmmakers on the documentary Your Serve or Mine, bringing part of that history to life.

That history is personal for Clifford Long Junior, son of Clifford Long Senior, a Flying Tigers pilot during World War II.

"It's very important to get them face-to-face and put these people in their environment so that they can learn and understand their culture," Long said, recalling his first trip to China in 2023.

"I was able to understand my father's feelings by experiencing them myself, so that's what I'm doing now. We're passing this history along to students," said Long, who is also vice-president of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation.

Andrew Cap, an English teacher and influencer, first went to China in 2016 for a study abroad program. Then he found a "special connection" to China that he channels on social media.

Kate Sullivan, executive director of the Greater Columbus Chinese Chamber of Commerce, who led an agricultural delegation to Beijing and Shanghai in June, said she had heard directly from both sides about agricultural trade.

"From the business side, we are absolutely looking for ways that we can work together and find win-win scenarios for both sides," Sullivan told reporters after the event. "It makes sense for the US and China to be in business together. It's not an emotional decision. It's business — supply and demand."

The event, titled "Our Shared Expectations: A Conversation on China-US Relations", was organized by the Chinese Consulate General in New York and held at the Harvard Club in Manhattan.