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The United States and China need to take inspiration from history to improve their bilateral relationship which is essential to solve major issues of global significance including climate change, pandemic and terrorism, President of the National Committee on US-China Relations Stephen A. Orlins has said.
At the annual Gala Dinner of the NCUSCR held here Wednesday, Orlins cited a famous Chinese poem from the Southern Song Dynasty that reads: “After endless mountains and rivers that leave doubt whether there is a path out, suddenly one encounters the shade of a willow, bright flowers and a lovely village.” “US-China relations have been through endless mountains and rivers in recent years,” Orlins continued. “But if we are to tackle climate change, global pandemic, terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, we must find a way to that lovely village.”
“We need to look back at our history to see that a seemingly impossible future is possible,” said Orlins, noting this year is the 50th anniversary of the Shanghai Communique and the NCUSCR hosting the Chinese ping pong team in the United States. “This trip, along with brave actions from great leaders, changed the narrative about how we and China can work together and build relationships through people-to-people exchanges,” Orlins said.
“The times have certainly changed, but the National Committee remains steadfast in its commitment to building better US-China relations, to keep exchanges open and to educate Americans and Chinese about each other,” Orlins said. NCUSCR Chair and former US Secretary of the Treasury Jacob J. Lew echoed Orlins’ points. “It’s never been more important to maintain contact and dialogue,” said Lew. “It has been a challenging period, that is why it is so important that we double down and do the work when it’s hard to do, not just when it’s easy to do.” People-to-people contact, dialogues, cultural and sports exchanges are key to connecting the American people and the Chinese people, Lew said, adding that it is key to creating an environment to support policy makers who look for ways to reduce tension and create opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.
The Gala’s esteemed honoree, Evan Greenberg, vice chair of the NCUSCR and chair of Chubb Limited and Chubb Group, noted that “American interests are served by a stable US-China relationship, one that recognizes the need to coexist amid our competition, that provides space for both sides to vigorously defend their interests.” “That allows for coordination on shared challenges and that never loses sight of both sides requirement to avoid conflict with each other, we need better rules of the road and guardrails around what’s acceptable behavior between us,” said Greenberg.