Washington (People’s Daily) – Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang recently visited Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. After returning to Washington, he had an article entitled “A Journey to the Heartland and to My Heart” published in The Des Moines Register on Friday.

Screenshot of the article on the website.

In the article, Qin wrote that he has been touched by stories of win-win cooperation and stories of friendship passed through generations. The journey to the Heartland afforded the entire Chinese delegation a panoramic understanding of the whole production chain of America’s agriculture.

Qin said that American farmers and agricultural companies need China, benefit from China, and look forward to further cooperation with China. China and the United States are natural partners for agricultural trade. With the Chinese market wide open, the two sides have broad space for further agricultural cooperation, and this is a call to action to create conditions for two-way, normal agricultural trade and lift additional tariffs and other obstacles.

The ambassador said that cooperation should not just be about “buy and sell”; it can go deep into agricultural technology, climate action and sustainable development. “Economic and trade ties, especially those in agriculture, are the ballast of China-US relations, and the American business community and farmers are the backbone of a stable China-US relationship — this trip has deepened my belief in this basic fact,” he said.  

“We could tell that the seeds of friendship first sown by President Xi have taken root, sprouted, blossomed and borne fruit in Iowa. We could also see from this experience that the bond between China and the United States is unbreakable, and such bond is forged by all those people who champion the cause of China-US friendship and cooperation,” Qin said.

He said that the common qualities of Chinese and Americans impressed him also, as well as the young people’s respect and appreciation for different countries and cultures. He continued that these young people are like the seedlings of China-US friendship, who will one day grow up, take over this great cause and carry it forward into the future.

“I leave the Heartland with my heart filled with friendship and cooperation, and more importantly, filled with confidence in the future of China-US relations. Just as the mighty Mississippi River cannot be stopped by any undercurrent in its course to the sea,” said Qin.