Xi Jinping adds personal touch to diplomacy
- China and the US may appear to be at loggerheads, but president’s letter to American students shows interaction between people at all levels of society should be a normal part of relations between nations
Strained ties between China and the United States give the impression that relations at all levels are caustic. A letter President Xi Jinping wrote in reply to one received from American high school students reflects a different reality.
The trade war, American bans on Chinese technology and a clampdown on visas for academics and researchers are certainly damaging to relations. But the sentiment does not extend throughout society, with many ordinary people also desiring understanding, interaction and friendship.
The first-year Mandarin-language students from Illinois sent Xi the letter for the Lunar New Year, giving their best wishes and asking about his life, hobbies, work and opinion of the US. Such an assignment is a creative way to approach coursework, but especially so with relations between the nations at the official level so tense.
There is also bound to be curiosity given the mixed messages of US President Donald Trump’s administration; while he calls Xi his friend, policies and the rhetoric of his officials and advisers can be perceived as largely anti-Chinese in nature. A response was not expected, yet one surprisingly came – and was personally delivered by the Chinese ambassador to the US.
Xi has a busy and demanding job, as he pointed out in his letter, but the fact he found time to reply is a masterstroke of public relations as well as a goodwill gesture. He said the US had “beautiful sceneries, warm people and diverse cultures”.
He listed his interests as philosophy, history, literature, culture and sports and invited the students to visit China. That is sage advice given the misconceptions and heated discussion.
A deal to settle the trade dispute is reportedly near, prompting speculation that the letter is part of a strategy to improve the atmosphere for negotiations.
There was a similar exchange of letters between Xi and Italian students before the president’s European trip last month, during which he signed a memorandum of understanding with Italy on the “Belt and Road Initiative”.
But whether a game plan or not, interaction between people at all levels of society should be a normal part of relations between nations. Xi has merely taken it a step further.
