Editor's note: Dan Stein, chairman of the Muscatine-China Initiative Committee, and five other Iowa citizens visited China in late June. They participated in two events: the Sub-National Cooperation Sub-Forum of the "Bond with Kuliang: 2023 China-US People-to-People Friendship Forum" in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, and a meeting for the 40th anniversary of the sister state relationship between Iowa and Hebei Province in Shijiazhuang. In this by-line article in People's Daily published in September, Stein shared his travel experiences in China and his outlook on China-US relations.

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Chairman of the Muscatine-China Initiatives Committee Dan Stein (left) gives Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng (second from left) a tour of the Sino-US Friendship House on October 22, 2023. Ambassador Xie traveled from Des Moines to Muscatine, Iowa, to visit a group of old friends. (Photo: us.china-embassy.gov.cn)

Since 2013, I have visited China more than 20 times and have worked to create friendly relations between the US and China. I believe that knowledge and communication are the keys to understanding. 

Many like-minded individuals and I have encouraged more exchange and engagements for the people of our countries in business, education and culture. When our peoples visit each other's country and spend time learning about the language and culture, they have a better understanding of why people view the world as they do. 

When we received the invitation to attend these events, we were all very excited and viewed it as an opportunity to engage, communicate and work to get the relations on the right path of mutual cooperation and friendship. 

For most of the people in our delegation, it was the first time visiting Fujian Province and learning about the story of Kuliang. I must say, Fujian was fantastic! From the wonderful climate to the delicious jasmine tea, cuisine and the friendly and warm people, it was such a terrific experience to visit this proud province of China. During the forum, we got to hear and learn first-hand about the story of Kuliang from generations past. Many of the speakers at the forum were direct descendants of the original Western inhabitants of Kuliang. You could really sense the admiration, understanding and respect they had for China and its people and culture. This kind of deep understanding and sincere friendship could only be developed through many years of living or visiting China and interacting with the people and culture. 

One highlight of the event was a letter written by President Xi Jinping to open the forum. President Xi writes from first-hand experience and knowledge about the power of people-to-people friendly relations and diplomacy. After all, when he first visited the US in 1985, it was a visit to my hometown of Muscatine in Iowa, and it was the people of this small town that left such a profound impression on him. He spent time there learning about the geography, economy, agriculture practices, and most importantly, the people and culture. 

Furthermore, President Xi did not forget the old friends from his visit many decades ago. We were so honored and surprised when he visited our small town again in 2012, then as the vice president of China. Of course, in 2012 he had a packed schedule during his visit to America, including meetings with then president Barack Obama. But despite everything that he had to deal with, Xi visited Muscatine and his Old Friends and said the famous quote, "to me, you are America." This sets an example for all of us to work to develop friendly people-to-people relations and to never forget your dear old friends. This story inspires us to work harder and strive for our dreams of a peaceful world and true friendship that supersedes national borders.

In addition to the forum, we had the opportunity to visit Kuliang and see the homes of the original inhabitants. We also visited the old city in Fuzhou and took a river cruise on the Minjiang River at night. We visited a museum that showed the development of Fujian during President Xi's time leading the province as Party Secretary. But of course, the best memories will be the friendships developed with the people of Fujian that will carry us forward in the future.

The second part of this visit to China took us Iowans to what we consider our "motherland" within China. That of course is the humble and great Hebei Province! It is amazing that our formal Sister State status celebrated its 40th Anniversary in 2023. This special relationship, which started when I was just a baby in my mother's arms, has flourished and will flourish into the future. When we visited Hebei, it was truly like coming home to Old Friends. It was so comfortable because we knew each other so well and could talk comfortably as friends. In this environment, it isn't difficult to discuss sensitive issues because we know there is still mutual, solid respect for the other side if there is disagreement.

This time, we also got to visit the Xiong'an New Development Area in Hebei. This modern green city will help relieve congestion in the capital and lead to technological and economic growth. It was extremely impressive and appears to have a bright future ahead. The formal meetings in Shijiazhuang were very positive. While we reflected on the current challenges, we had our past 40 years as proof of how and why friendship and people-to-people diplomacy can serve as the catalyst and energy to lead our people and countries to a bright future together.