Peking University Education Foundation (USA) co-organizes US-China Relationship Summit
Sep 10, 2019
Peking University, Sep 5, 2019: On August 24, US-China Relationship Summit was held in Burlingame, San Francisco bay area. The summit was hosted by Florence Fang Family Foundation and co-organized by Peking University Education Foundation (USA), Bay Area Council, San Francisco-Shanghai Sister Cities Committee (SFSSCC), and other organizations. More than 500 political and business leaders and elites from China and the United States gathered at the event to review China-US relations over the past four decades and to exchange views of future development.
At the summit
Florence Fang, chairman of the summit and honorary board member of PKU, recounted the 1971 Ping-pong Diplomacy as an opening gambit and went through China-US diplomatic relations over the past 40 years. She pointed out that the purpose of the summit was to foster communication and cooperation between China and the US at non-govermental level. Themed “Sailing Together”, the summit was more of a chance to retrospect the past, to focus the present, and to pursue a more cooperative relationship in the future than a mere glee feast. She added that it was only when both parties drew on each other’s strength could they achieve win-win results. The Florence Fang Family Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 2011, California. It boosts PKU’s position on the international stage and plays a pivotal role in promoting China-US understanding and cooperation.
Chinese Consul General in San Francisco Wang Donghua pointed out that the conflict between China and the US is detrimental to economic development and people’s wellbeing for both countries. He also emphasized the importance of China-US cooperation and stressed that cooperation met the interests of Chinese and American people.
Vice-Chairman of Peking University Ye Jingyi introduced PKU’s role in a wide range of cross-cultural and international communication activities. She called for teenagers from both sides to participate more actively to build up mutual understanding and to contribute to a more inclusive and multicultural environment.
During the sub-session in the afternoon, Min Weifang, former PKU council chair, exchanged ideas with Michael McFaul, a professor from Stanford University. Min believed that scholars and intellectuals from China and the United States should work hand in hand to find solutions to current problems. According to Min, China and the US should also find more common interests and strive to develop a better cooperative relationship. He elaborated on the ways to promote world harmony and common prosperity from the perspectives of culture, economy, and education, and stressed that education, especially higher education, played a crucial role in building reciprocal relations.
Written by: Qiu Kanghua
Edited by: Wei Yunqi
Source: PKU News (Chinese)
