Iowa Sister States celebrated the 40th anniversary of Chinese President Xi Jinping's historic 1985 visit to Iowa, at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates on Thursday, honoring four decades of deep friendship between Xi and Iowan old friends, the close tie and sister bond between Iowa and Hebei — a relationship that has strengthened through generations.

President Xi has stayed in touch with these "old friends" since his first visit to Iowa in 1985, when, as secretary of the Communist Party of China Zhengding county committee in Hebei, he led a five-member delegation to learn about crop production and livestock farming.

Luca Berrone, a member of the board of directors of Iowa Sister States and the trip organizer of the 1985 delegation, recalled how he was driving around with the delegation and had a fantastic afternoon on the Mississippi River. Berrone said that was how the friendship began. The friendship has endured over time.

During his visits, Xi met with the then Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, who had signed a sister-state agreement with Hebei. He also met Sarah Lande, who helped organize the delegation's trip to Muscatine, an agricultural hub in the state's heartland. Xi stayed at the home of a local US family while their son was away at college, leaving his room available for the guest.

Xi returned to Iowa in 2012 as China's vice-president, reuniting with his old friends and meeting new friends. He visited the farm of local farmer Rick Kimberley, climbed aboard a tractor, and met with then World Food Prize Foundation president Kenneth Quinn to discuss agriculture.

The next reunion in the US came in 2023 when President Xi met with his old friends once again in San Francisco during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting.

The people of Iowa, Xi's old friends, have also been touched by this enduring friendship and continue to make efforts to strengthen this special bond.

Despite current tariff tensions, the old friends remain optimistic and committed to promoting people-to-people ties built over 40 years of friendship.

"Being here after 40 years to commemorate and celebrate is a wonderful feeling," Berrone told China Daily.

"Looking back only 45 years, there was no trade between America and China. Now there is so much, but we have to acknowledge that it's a very difficult time now. I'm old, but I'm worried that the relationship is under a lot of strain," Quinn told China Daily. "That's why events like this remind us of how agriculture, President Xi Jinping's visit, and the genuine friendship that was shown to him and has developed, is so important."

Win-win solution

"We are going through some tough times right now, but I've read a lot about the history between our two countries. There are always going to be differences, but I really think if we can build a personal relationship with people, it can be mutually beneficial and a win-win solution for both countries and for the world economy," Branstad, who was appointed as the US ambassador to China during US President Donald Trump's first administration, told China Daily. "We are the two biggest economies in the world, we need to find a way to get along."

"This relationship has stayed strong through all these years, through ups and downs. We love the Chinese people. Chinese people have a great work ethic, they're very committed to education, they're very family-oriented. We Iowans have a lot in common with the people of China," Branstad added.

The friendship between Iowa and China has also extended to the younger generation. President Xi invited 50,000 US students to visit China, while Chinese students were also traveling to the US. In Iowa, this bond is reflected in the partnership between Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School and local students.

"It's been months and I don't think I can still properly put into words just how grateful I am for the opportunity to have visited such a beautiful country that has such a rich history and just such friendly people," Maddie Alexander, a 14-year-old girl, told China Daily.

"Just as the Mississippi River winds its way and finally rushes into the sea, I believe that no matter what kind of counter-current China-US relations encounter, the fundamental aspiration of the two peoples for exchanges and cooperation is still irresistible," Yang Wanming, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said in the speech.

"Forty years ago, we jointly chose the path of friendship. Forty years later, we should continue to write new stories of people-to-people connection on this path," he said.

"Over the past 40 years, Hebei and lowa have built a strong partnership based on practical cooperation and enduring friendship, making it a model for subnational ties between China and the United States," Vice-Governor of Hebei Province Zhao Xinhai said.

mingmeili@chinadailyusa.com