Ministry Minutes | China supports enhanced people-to-people exchanges with US

China supports strengthening people-to-people friendship and cultural exchanges with the US to contribute to a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability based on respect, fairness and reciprocity, China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a press conference in Beijing. (Photo: VCG)

Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made the remarks at a regular news briefing when asked to comment on the recent touching story of 95-year-old American David V. Plymire and his deep connection with Huangyuan county in Northwest China's Qinghai Province, which has gained widespread attention online following another heartwarming cross-border story involving US teacher Ronald Sakolsky and Chinese anti-desertification hero Yin Yuzhen.

Ronald Sakolsky (R) sniffs a sapling after planting it with Yin Yuzhen in the Maowusu Sandy Land in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, August 24, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)

"Amity between the people holds the key to good relations between states," Mao quoted an ancient Chinese saying, noting that it is the continuous flowing streams of friendly interactions between the two peoples that gather into the long river that is China-US friendship.

According to the spokesperson, David V. Plymire, now 95, lived in Huangyuan county for 17 years and regarded it as his second home. Over the years, he raised funds to donate medical equipment, sponsored local students, and facilitated exchange programs for local English teachers to receive training in the US.

"David humbly described his decades-long efforts as simply 'doing his part for his own family,' which has deeply moved many people in China," Mao said.

China remains committed to encouraging people-to-people friendship and cultural exchanges between the two countries to contribute to the building of a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability based on respect, fairness and reciprocity, she added.