On the afternoon of March 21, 2024, Ai Ping, Vice President of the China Association
for International Exchange, met with a five-member U.S. delegation led by Dr. Gene
Wood, President of Amity Foundation’s partner Asia Connect International Counseling
Center (hereinafter referred to as “Asia Pass”). Xiao Ningning, Deputy Secretary-
General of the China Association for the Promotion of International Exchanges of Non-
governmental Organizations (hereinafter referred to as “China Promotion Association”),
Gu Chuanyong, Vice Chairman of Amity Foundation, and She Hongyu, Deputy
Secretary-General of Amity Foundation, accompanied the meeting.
The atmosphere of the talks was friendly and warm. Ai Ping pointed out that China’s
development is beneficial to the people of the world. The improvement of Sino-US
relations requires not only diplomats, but also more civilian forces. The China
Association for International Exchange is a group member of the China Promotion Association, which is a platform organization for promoting non-governmental
exchanges between China and foreign countries.
We look forward to strengthening
exchanges between China and the United States through non-governmental channels
and jointly contributing to the development of the world. He also recalled the
participation and support of the older generation of leaders of the Amity Foundation,
such as Ding Guangxun and Han Wenzao, in their early years in the work of the
China Association for International Exchange, and their contributions to China’s
international relations from the perspective of religious activists. In addition, he also
put forward constructive suggestions for American friends on how to gain a deeper
understanding of Chinese history and culture.
Gene Wood said that since his first visit to China in 1998, he has forged an
indissoluble bond with China, and has visited China more than 100 times over the
past 30 years. He described President Xi Jinping’s remarks on strengthening U.S.-
China relations as “pleasant music” in his view. He believes that because there is not
enough “face-to-face communication”, there have been some misunderstandings
between China and the United States in the past. The purpose of his visit is to
improve Sino-US relations with the help of non-governmental forces, and he hopes
that Asiacom will become a positive force in promoting non-governmental exchanges
between China and the United States. He specifically mentioned that in October this
year, Asia Connect and Amity Foundation will co-host the 5th “Amity Cup”
International Table Tennis Charity Tournament, which he is looking forward to.
Johnson Brooks, a member of the delegation, said that while some may worry that
the rise of one side of China and the United States will come at the cost of the defeat
of the other, from the experience of his many visits to China, “we love each other’s
people.”
Gu Chuanyong, vice chairman of the Amity Foundation, quoted Chairman Mao’s
famous quote “In difficult times, we must see achievements and see light” to express
his expectations for the development of China-US relations. He said that the holding
of the 5th “Amity Cup” International Table Tennis Charity Tournament will continue the
good story of “table tennis diplomacy” 53 years ago, and under the promotion of the
sportsmanship of “friendship first, competition second”, with the new idea of “sports +
public welfare”, it will help the friendly exchanges between China and the United
States, and realize “table tennis for love”.
