A friend forever

Department of American & Oceanian Affairs

I am honored to attend the opening ceremony of the Photo Exhibition Tour in Memory of Helen Foster Snow. Please allow me to extend， on behalf of the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， warm congratulations for the exhibition and my sincere gratitude to all our Chinese and American friends for their efforts in making the exhibition possible.

Helen was a tested friend of the Chinese people.

In 1935， Helen and Edgar Snow offered protection to student activists by opening their home to them during the December 9 Movement. Many of those students later became senior leaders or outstanding diplomats of the Peoples Republic of China.

In 1937， Helen visited Yanan and became the first foreign journalist to arrive at the heart of the Chinese revolution. During her stay there， she interviewed Mao Zedong， Zhu De， Zhou Enlai and other top leaders of the Communist Party of China， giving the world another chance to get to know the CPC and the CPC-led Chinese Soviet Gov- ernment after Red Star Over China.

In 1938， Helen joined Edgar， Rewi Alley and others to found the first Committee for the Promotion of Industrial Cooperatives in China （also known as “Gung Ho”） to help the wartorn and long-suffering Chinese people build strength. In the following years， she helped raise large amounts of money and supplies for the Gung Ho movement， and was affectionately called the“Mother of Gung Ho”.

After 1972， Helen returned to China twice， meeting old friends and reporting to the world what she saw and heard in the New China. She also hosted lots of Chinese friends in the United States， devoting herself to deepening friendship between the Chinese and American people.

In 1996， the CPAFFC was privileged to present to Helen the title of Friendship Ambassador. She was the second American to receive this title， and she certainly deserved it.

A respected journalist and a prolific writer， Helen chose to describe her thoughts as “bridging”. As an old Chinese saying goes， “Great truths are always simple.” “Bridging”， though a simple word， best captures not only the legendary life of Helen Snow， but also her contribution to promoting mutual understanding between the Chinese and American people.

Ms. Lu Cui， a student leader of the December 9 Movement and later vicepresident of the CPAFFC， recalled in 1991 that Helen once wrote to her and said that Edgar and she had built the earliest bridge of friendship between China and the US. Helen also noted that the students she made friends with during the December 9 Movement were the initial planks of that bridge. Lu said that we have fought for a lifetime for friendship between the Chinese and American people， and we need to hold high the banner of friendship and make continued efforts.

Today， we gather here to launch the photo exhibition in commemoration of Helens historic contribution. We hope that more friends from both China and the US will follow Helens example and commit themselves to the worthy course of deepening China-US friendship.

China-US relations are now faced with difficulties and challenges. Some US politicians call for viewing China as an adversary and decoupling from China. Some US media outlets are also filled with negative reports on China and China-US relations. However， based on my recent exchanges with American people from different sectors， I believe that such jarring voices do not represent the true mainstream of public opinion in the US， because they harm the real interests of the American people.

Instead， I have felt a strong force of support for friendship and cooperation between China and the US. A review of the past shows that people-topeople exchanges have always played a unique and important role in the growth of China-US relations. Under the current circumstances， we should place even more trust in the people， rely more on the people and let people be the main driver of our bilateral relations.

We should learn from Helen Snow and build more bridges of understanding between China and the US. The two countries differ in history and culture and thus have chosen different political systems and development modes. In reality， there are no two countries that are exactly the same in the world， and the world is only more colorful and beautiful because of its diversity. We should work together to build bridges for the two peoples to deepen mutual understanding， so that the two sides can view each other with respect， learn from each other with humility and accept differences with an inclusive attitude. We should foster an objective perception of each other， avoid misunderstandings and remove estrangement.

We should learn from Helen Snow and build more bridges of friendship between China and the US. From the Flying Tigers who came to support China in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression during World War II， to the Ping Pong diplomacy of the 1970s， the annals of China-US relations are filled with moving stories of mutual assistance between our two peoples. We should continue to encourage and expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation， promote amity between the people and uphold and develop the traditional friendship between the Chinese and American people. In a word， we need to build stronger public support for bilateral ties.

We should learn from Helen Snow and build more bridges of cooperation between China and the US. Our two economies are highly complementary， and our cooperation over the past four decades and more has delivered huge benefits to the two peoples. This is a widely recognized fact. At present， facing the common task of growing the economy and improving peoples livelihoods， we must further strengthen cooperation. We need to mobilize Chinese and American people from all walks of life， tap into the potential for cooperation and expand its scope to achieve mutual benefits， deliver win-win outcomes and bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Meanwhile， both being great nations with worldwide influence， China and the US should jointly work to counter global challenges in the spirit of building a community with a shared future for mankind and make their due contributions to world peace， stability and development.

I sincerely hope that people of vision from both countries will inherit and carry forward the spirit of Helen Snow， to build more bridges of understanding， friendship and cooperation between China and the US in the new era， and will make unremitting efforts for the sound and stable development of China-US relations. I believe this is the best way to celebrate her legacy.

July 16， 2021， Beijing