In commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations, the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA) held a Photo Exhibition and Dinner Reception with the title of “CPIFA and US Congress since 1972” at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on August 11. The event was chaired by Amb. Lu Shumin, Executive Vice President of CPIFA. Executive Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui, President Yang Wenchang of CPIFA and US Ambassador to China Max Baucus delivered remarks respectively. More than two hundred participants were present at the event, including Assistant Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang, other representatives of various Chinese government agencies, research institutions and companies, two US congressional delegations led by Senate Finance Committee Chairman, Senator Ronald Wyden and Congresswoman Lois Frankel, as well as five delegations of US congressional staffers.

       Vice Minister Zhang said in his remarks that nearly a hundred photos on display today recorded the 42-year long history of exchanges between the CPIFA and the US Congress, reflecting the extraordinary development course of the China-US relations over almost half a century. Currently, the bilateral relationship is at a new historical starting point and the two heads of state have reached important consensus on building a new model of major country relationship between China and the US. He believed that with joint efforts, China and the US can surely break the pattern that an emerging power and an established power will inevitably head toward confrontation. He hoped that the two sides will further strengthen exchanges and cooperation, effectively manage differences so as to ensure that the bilateral relations develop on the right course. China attaches importance to the exchanges and cooperation with the US Congress and is willing to strengthen that. We hope that the US law makers and people from all walks of life in the two countries will make new contributions to the development of the China-US relations.

       President Yang of CPIFA referred in his remarks a Chinese fable story of Yu Gong leading his family in moving away mountains in front of his home to illustrate the persistent efforts made by CPIFA in promoting people-to-people exchanges between various sectors in China and the US Congress since 1972. He said, we firmly believe that no matter how difficult China-US relations might be, the only right solution is through better communication and more exchanges between our two peoples.

       Ambassador Baucus said that the US Congress has a critical role to play in the development of US-China relationship, which is one of the most important bilateral ties in the world. He said that continuous efforts should be made in encouraging more and more members of the US Congress and their staffers to visit China, and visits to the US by people from different sectors of China should also increase so as to strengthen mutual understanding between the two peoples.