In letter to Iowa friends, Xi offers reassurance over Sino-American exchanges
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High-level bilateral ties appeared to stabilise after Xi-Trump talks in South Korea in October 2025 led to a one-year extension of a trade truce.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping said the desire of the Chinese and American peoples for exchanges and cooperation will not change regardless of how bilateral relations evolve, in a reply to Iowa friends ahead of an expected meeting with US President Donald Trump in April, according to Xinhua.
“The hope of US-China relations lies in the people,” Mr Xi wrote on Feb 16 in response to a New Year’s greeting from Iowa businessman Luca Berrone, whom he first met in May 1985 when he led a delegation from Hebei province to its “sister state” of Iowa to learn about food production, and others.
In 2022, Mr Xi said in a New Year’s greeting to Ms Sarah Lande, another friend from his Iowa trip, that the world required stability in US-China ties, which were strained during the Covid-19 pandemic.
US-China relations had a tumultuous 2025, with Mr Trump threatening in October 2025 to impose additional 100 per cent tariffs on imports from China. But 2025 saw a revival in people-to-people ties as Mr Trump’s threatened TikTok ban pushed Americans onto Chinese app RedNote.
“Chinamaxxing”, or the online trend of adopting Chinese cultural habits, also became popular with the US Gen Z, influenced by the growing perception of China as a technological superpower.
High-level bilateral ties appeared to stabilise after Xi-Trump talks in South Korea in October 2025 led to a one-year extension of a trade truce. Mr Trump agreed to trim tariffs in exchange for Beijing’s commitment to crack down on the illegal fentanyl trade, resume US soya bean purchases, and pause rare earth export controls.
The two then had a surprise phone call in early February that touched on Taiwan and other security issues. According to Mr Trump, Mr Xi also said China would consider increasing its purchases of US soya beans, of which Iowa is a top producer.
Mr Trump is planning to visit China in April, he said in January, adding that Mr Xi would travel to the US towards the end of 2026. REUTERS
