上海后花园1314

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo in Beijing on Friday. De Croo's visit to China is one of the most important high-level contacts between China and the EU this year, following the visits to China by European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in December.

The visit highlights the ongoing dialogue and interaction between China and the EU, especially as Belgium recently assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union and De Croo will be in a pivotal position to coordinate the EU's policy agenda for the next six months.

EU's relationship with China is complex and multifaceted, with differences between the two sides in a number of areas, including trade imbalances and subsidies, and the conflict in Ukraine. However, these specific issues are set against the backdrop of broader geopolitical and global power shifts that have caused unease in the EU.

Europeans are increasingly aware of China's growing presence on the global stage, not only in the economic sphere but also in the technological and geopolitical spheres.

The changing relationship between the three poles of China, the US and Europe is not a new phenomenon. While the US continues to lead, China and the EU are playing an increasing role on the global stage, which has become more pronounced in the wake of the advancement of Europe's strategic autonomy and the rise of China.

As an ally of the US, the EU continues to be highly concerned about China's rise. This is well illustrated by comparing the covers of two issues of The Economist, a British weekly newspaper, which in 2013 featured the threat of China's carbon emissions to the World. In 2024, the cover showed the new threat of China's lead in green technologies. 

If you imagine China, the US and the EU as three runners on a track, the US is still leading, and China is occasionally ahead of the EU, but most of the time, it is the other way around. It's often the second-place runner that's more anxious.

This race scene also shows us the difference between US and European policy toward China. 

The EU is currently focused on decreasing reliance on foreign high-end technology suppliers, particularly to avoid being surpassed or replaced by China in critical areas, while also implementing protective measures to counter the impact of Chinese manufacturing on the European market. In contrast, the US strives to uphold its global dominance in high-tech fields and key manufacturing areas by constraining China.

The outcome of this competition is different from what the US expected: Rather than rebuilding supply chains to exclude Chinese manufacturing, each player seeks to consolidate and strengthen its position in existing supply chains.

"Decoupling" and "breaking the chain" are not feasible. It is improbable that either party can construct a new, fully independent global supply chain. If the EU adopts the US approach toward China, it may end up more reliant on the US and suffer the most damage among the three parties.

As the EU follows the US containment policy toward China, especially in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, it risks losing a lucrative market with the strongest end-product manufacturing capacity, widening the gap with the US.

The EU's strategic dilemma with China also reflects its strategic dilemma with the US. The EU aims to be the leading global economy but also wants to maintain reliance on the US, strategically using the alliance to build its own influential position globally.

The EU needs to define its approach to China independently. This doesn't mean the EU should draw a clear line with the US, but there is a need for a more pragmatic, rational and comprehensive attitude when considering its relationship with China. It should not always focus on competition with China and ignore the widening gap with the US.

If the EU can more frequently consider its relationship with China from a different perspective, then both China and Europe have competitive and cooperative aspects, with the latter potentially reducing the gap between the two sides and the US, thereby bringing stability to the world's multipolarization.

Therefore, creating more connections between the EU and China is crucial. With more bridges, there will be more roads, improved communication and better understanding. China and EU can establish a new relationship that will support balanced global development.

Multiple places in Central China’s Henan Province suspend classes and transportation on Tuesday due to continuous snowstorms which are expected to last until Thursday. 

The Henan Meteorological Service issued a yellow alert for snowstorm at 11 pm on Monday, warning that snowfalls of 5 millimeters or above were forecast in multiple cities across the province including Jiyuan, Jiaozuo, Xinxiang, Luoyang and some parts of Zhengzhou between 2 pm and 10 pm. In particular, snowfalls in Jiyuan, western part of Jiaozuo, western part of Xinxiang, Sanmenxia and northwestern part of Luoyang reached 10 millimeters or above. The most extreme snowfall of 20.1 millimeters occurred in Shaoyuan town in Jiyuan city. 

The meteorological observatory in Qinyang city upgraded the snowstorm alert to red at 10:25 pm on Monday, notifying residents of continuous snowfall of 15 millimeters over the past six hours in the city, warning the impact of the snowfalls on the traffic and agricultural production. 

Affected by the snowstorms, primary and middle schools in Jiaozuo downtown suspended classes on Tuesday morning and kindergarten will suspend class for the whole day.  

Sanmenxia also issued an emergency notice to suspend classes at primary schools, kindergarten and training institutions on Tuesday. 

Kindergartens in Qinyang will suspend class for the whole day on Tuesday while primary schools and junior middle schools suspended classes on Tuesday morning. Schools in the mountainous areas in the northern part of the city will suspend classes the whole Tuesday. 

In Jiyuan, non-boarding primary schools and kindergartens will suspend classes on Tuesday and the training institutions and sports venues will suspend operation. Construction projects at schools will also be suspended. 

Meanwhile, highway services across Henan will be subject to traffic control measures. Toll stations along some sections of the highways in Sanmenxia, Luoyang, Xinxiang, Jiyuan, Jiaozuo, Xuchang, Hebi, Zhengzhou, Pingdingshan will prohibit the pass of all kinds of vehicles. 

Several sections of road in Zhengzhou will prohibit the passage of the vehicles transporting dangerous goods. 

In Xin’an and Luoning counties in Luoyang, public transportation and shuttle buses are being suspended. 

Since many roads in mountainous areas and plains have been frozen or covered by snow in Jiyuan, all the public transportation in these areas has been suspended. 

In Zhengzhou, the snowfall has been forecast to last until Tuesday night and the freezing alert for roads in the city remains in effect. 

Seven railway trains departing from Zhengzhou on Tuesday have been suspended as of 9:50 am and dozens of bus lines in the city were also suspended. 

Bus stations across the city will issue alerts of changing weather conditions and warnings of safe driving as well as launch emergency response plans against the rainy and snowy weather conditions. 

The first extensive rain and snow in 2024 has been predicted to last for an extended period of time with severe intensity in some areas. It is forecast that the rain and snow will extend to more than 20 provinces and cities such East China’s Shandong and Anhui provinces. 

Over coming days, mixed rain and snow will continue in Xi'an, Zhengzhou and other places with rain and snow days lasting for three days or longer. Rainfall in Chongqing, Wuhan, Changsha and other places is expected to continue, with rainfall lashing each city for large parts of each day. 

In North China’s Shanxi Province, 59 counties, cities or district were hit by rain and snow weather on Monday. The local meteorological disaster emergency headquarters launched a level-4 emergency response for major meteorological disasters. 

The local meteorological bureau in Shanxi expects that most parts of Shanxi will still have rain and snow in the next three days, and the lowest temperature in areas experiencing extreme cold will drop to near minus 18 C, which will impact transportation, public travel, energy supply, agriculture production and animal husbandry. 

Taiwan's leadership and legislature elections were held on Saturday.

Candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Lai Ching-te and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim won the leadership election.

In the election of the island's 113-seat legislature, the Chinese Kuomintang party garnered 52 seats, the DPP won 51 seats, and the Taiwan People's Party seized eight seats. The rest two went to independent candidates.

China's Foreign Ministry on Thursday urged the US to abide by the one-China principle, stop sending wrong signals to Taiwan secessionists, and refrain from interfering in the Taiwan's regional leader election in any form, after reports disclosed that the Biden administration will dispatch a delegation comprised of former senior officials to the island of Taiwan shortly after the island's regional leader election to be held on Saturday.

Chinese experts noted that the US' scheme would be destructive to China-US relations, and is highly likely to trigger countermeasures from the Chinese side, which has reiterated the core significance of the Taiwan question.

Citing people familiar with the plan, the Financial Times (FT) said in a Wednesday report that the White House has tapped James Steinberg, a former Democratic deputy secretary of state, and Stephen Hadley, a former Republican national security adviser, to lead the bipartisan delegation to Taiwan island. 

The FT report said that the purpose of sending the delegation is to ensure Washington was "communicating clearly" with the winning and losing candidates about US policy and the "uniqueness of the unofficial relationship" between the US and Taiwan island.

The Associated Press (AP) said sending the delegation is the "most effective way" to engage the newly-elected authorities and convey US policy.

One senior administration official said that the delegation "will convey the importance of ties" between the US and Taiwan island and also reiterate Washington's "one-China policy," CNN reported, noting that exact composition of the delegation was still being determined, per senior administration officials it reached. 

"Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. China always firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between the US and Taiwan authorities," Mao Ning, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. 

The US side should earnestly abide by the one-China principle, prudently and properly handle the Taiwan question, stop sending any wrong signals to Taiwan secessionists, and refrain from interfering in the Taiwan regional elections in any form, so as to avoid causing serious damage to China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, Mao said. 

She added that China will take resolute and forceful measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Lü Xiang, an expert on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that the US releasing such a message a few days before the Taiwan regional election is a move apparently aimed at appeasing secessionists on the island, and encouraging voters "not to be afraid to support secessionists."

US tricks cannot change the overall situation of the Chinese mainland seizing the initiative of the cross-Straits situation, Lü said, "China stays focused and will make all kinds of contingency plans. If the US crosses the red line, China will definitely take firm countermeasures."

Citing one former US official, the FT report noted that sending the delegation to Taipei right after the election was a "risky move that could backfire."  

Diao Daming, an expert on US studies at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday that disclosing the planning of the trip ahead of the Taiwan regional leader election may suggest that the US believes that whoever takes office can be used by the White House to implement the US' "Indo-Pacific" strategy. 

"If secessionist Lai Ching-te is elected, it will carry out more risk management, and if KMT's Hou Yu-ih is elected, the US will hold him back from getting too close with the mainland," he explained. 

But Washington should be aware that if there is any reaction from the Chinese side, it is the result of US actions, said Diao, "Instead of being concerned about the China's countermeasures, the US should follow through on its promise [on Taiwan question]."

The US move also came amid recent increased interactions between China and US to stabilize strained ties. 

Liu Jianchao, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, visited the US this week, urging it to abide by its commitment to not support "Taiwan independence."

At the Carter Center Forum commemorating the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations on Tuesday, Xie Feng, Chinese Ambassador to the US, reiterated that the Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive question in China-US relations.

China hopes to maintain stability in the Taiwan Straits and does not want to see a conflict between China and the US over the Taiwan question, but the premise is that the US cannot cross the red line, otherwise China will definitely respond in a "tit for tat" manner, Lü said 

China's communication with the US on the Taiwan question is entirely a manifestation of goodwill,Lü said,"If one day China no longer talks about the Taiwan question with the US, it means that China does not consider Washington to be a factor, then the situation will be irreversible."

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the National Commission of Supervision (NCS), the country’s top anti-graft body, has pledged to intensify scrutiny in areas including finance, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), healthcare, grain procurement and sale, rural revitalization, tobacco, sports, statistics and more.

Special efforts will be carried out to tackle industrial, systemic and regional corruption cases, and effectively prevent and defuse systemic risks, according to an article released on the CCDI and NCS’ website on Monday.

The article highlighted that in order to decisively win the protracted and tough battle against corruption, it is imperative to consistently maintain a “high-pressure stance” and never relent in the determination to punish wrongdoing.

According to a five-year work plan of the Central Anti-Corruption Coordination Group from 2023 to 2027, the anti-corruption work will be further expanded to the primary level, with harsh punishments for misconduct including embezzlement, illegal possession and misappropriation, as well as ways to solicit bribes.

A total of 405,000 officials at all levels were punished over the first nine months of 2023, of whom 34 of were senior officials at provincial or ministerial levels, per data from the CCDI and NCS.

In recent years, the financial sector has been a focal point for anti-corruption efforts. In 2023, at least 101 individuals in the financial field were put under investigation, according to media reports.

Notably, the list includes senior officials like Liu Liange, former Party chief and president of the Bank of China, Zhou Qingyu, a former vice president of China Development Bank, and Li Xiaopeng, former Party chief and chairman of China Everbright Group.

Out of the 101 individuals under investigation, 74 are from the banking sector, 12 from regulatory authorities, seven from insurance institutions, two from financial groups, one from a securities institution, and five from other financial organizations, domestic news site Thepaper.cn reported.

The high-intensity anti-corruption campaign continues into the beginning of 2024, with the latest busted case involving Wang Yongsheng, former deputy president of China Development Bank, who was expelled from the CPC for severe violations of Party discipline and the law, the country's top anti-graft body said on Friday.

The latest COVID-19 variant JN.1 is spreading around the world, leading to growing concerns in Chinese society, following a recent severe wave of respiratory infections. Chinese experts estimate that the variant will cause more infections in the near future, but it is not likely to seriously worsen the current situation.

Named JN.1, this variant was first identified in Luxembourg, before spreading to the UK, Iceland, France, and the US.

By the end of October, JN.1 made up less than 0.1 percent of SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating in the US. But as of December 8, 2023, the ratio climbed to 15-29 percent, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The US estimated that COVID-19 infections are likely to increase in the next month.

Data in the UK also suggested that the variant is spreading more than every other known strain, making up one in 13 cases in England last month.

The JN.1 variant is part of the BA.2.86 variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with an additional L455S mutation in the RBD region. Early studies have shown that BA.2.86 has similar immune escape capabilities as the XBB variants. However, recent research has found that the L455S mutation in the JN.1 variant further enhances its immune evasion ability, allowing it to partially escape the humoral immune response induced by XBB.1.5 breakthrough infections, Lu Hongzhou, head of the Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

According to current research, BA.2.86, first identified in August 2023, carries more than 30 mutations in the spike (S) protein compared to the XBB and BA.2 variants, indicating high potential for immune evasion.

Another name of JN.1 is BA.2.86.1.1 and there is only a single change between JN.1 and BA.2.86 in the spike protein, according to current research.

A recent study by Japanese scientists published on bioRxiv on December 8 evaluated the virological characteristics of the omicron subvariant JN.1, which shows robust immune evasion ability compared to other variants. This could be due to the acquisition of the L455S mutation in the spike protein. The study noted that JN.1 has the ability to become a dominant variant worldwide in the future.

But so far, there is no evidence that JN.1 presents an increased risk to public health compared to other variants, according to the US CDC.

Currently, the XBB variant of COVID-19 is still the main strain of the local infections in China. Many clinical doctors told the media that they had witnessed an increase in COVID-19 infections recently and they predicted this wave of infections will last till late January 2024 with mortality and severe illness rates likely to increase.

"Since December last year, SARS-CoV-2 has been co-circulating with other respiratory pathogens in China, leading to many domestic residents in the country having experienced two or even three infections. Existing research data indicates that such infection experiences can generate strong and broad-spectrum neutralizing antibodies against different subvariants of Omicron. Furthermore, although JN.1 has increased immune escape ability, there is currently no evidence to suggest an increase in the pathogenicity of the JN.1 variant," Lu explained.

"Therefore, we speculate that the future prevalence of JN.1 in our country may temporarily increase the number of COVID-19 patients and burden hospitals, but it will not significantly worsen the ongoing respiratory disease outbreaks," he said.

Lu reiterated the necessity of vaccination as it is an effective method to improve the speed and intensity of antibody production, providing better protection for the body.

Authorities in multiple cities across China such as Shanghai and Tianjin have sent notices to advise local residents to take COVID-19 vaccines targeting the XBB variant, urging eligible individuals to get the vaccine in a timely manner to enhance their protection against the virus.

Train tickets for the first day of the upcoming New Year's Day holidays went on sale on Saturday, with some popular routes sold out within seconds, data from online travel platforms showed.

As of 10 am, multiple train services departing from Beijing to cities of Zhengzhou and Wuhan, from Nanjing to Hefei and Hangzhou, among others, were already sold out. Notably, tickets for several popular routes were sold out within seconds, Tongcheng Travel Holdings said in a statement it sent to the Global Times.

This year's New Year's Day holidays extends from December 30, 2023, to January 1, 2024.

According to an analysis by the Tongcheng Research Institute, the combination of family visits and tourism during the upcoming holidays, coupled with the popularity of "ice and snow" tourism, is expected to increase traffic on high-speed rail routes from cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Zhengzhou to popular winter destinations including Harbin, Shenyang, Urumqi, and Hulun Buir.

Additionally, there is anticipated high demand for dedicated "ski trains" from Beijing to Zhangjiakou in North China's Hebei Province during the holiday period, Tongcheng said.

An earlier report released by Tongcheng showed that travel enthusiasm for the New Year's Day holidays has seen a year-on-year increase of 465 percent in the seven days leading up to Monday.

In addition, higher hotel booking volumes for the New Year's Eve were observed in cities like Harbin, Nanjing, Wuhan, Shanghai, and Beijing, travel platform Qunar said in a statement it sent to the Global Times on Saturday.

Over the past few days, many travelers have already begun making reservations for tickets through third-party platforms. As of Friday, the pre-booked travel orders for 2024 New Year's Day holidays' train tickets have shown a remarkable 194-percent year-on-year increase compared to the same period last year, according to data from the online travel agency Trip.com.

With the holidays approaching and the "ice and snow" tourism season gaining momentum, enthusiasm for travel remains unabated despite falling temperatures, promising to further stimulate consumption growth, experts said.

A Beijing resident surnamed Yao told the Global Times that he had booked tickets for his family to Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. The primary purpose is to visit his parents at home, and additionally, they plan to take their four-year-old son to the Harbin Ice-Snow World. He said that this would be his son's first visit to the theme park, with the entire family eagerly anticipating the trip.

Another Beijing-resident surnamed Fu said that she plans to go skiing in Zhangjiakou with her friends during the upcoming holiday. "Skiing, hot springs, and gourmet food will be the three main themes of our trip," Fu told the Global Times.

The New Year's Day holidays is a traditional golden season for consumption. Meanwhile, it is the first complete winter consumption season after the pandemic, and it is expected to extend retail spending momentum of consumption in the year, driving a spike in winter-themed spending, Zhang Yi, CEO of iiMedia Research Institute, told the Global Times on Saturday.

Per data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Friday, the service industry experienced rapid growth in November, as year-on-year growth of the national service industry production index came in at 9.3 percent, accelerating 1.6 percentage points compared to the previous month.

Breaking down by industry, the production index of the accommodation and catering industry increased by 30.6 percent year-on-year, showing a 9.3 percentage point acceleration compared to the previous month.

Total retail sales of consumer goods reached 4.25 trillion yuan in the month, representing a year-on-year growth of 10.1 percent, accelerating by 2.5 percentage points compared to October, NBS data showed.

In recent years, the "ice and snow" consumption season has been rapidly growing across China, especially in the northern regions. It typically kicks off in winter and extends through to the following spring, Zhang said.

China's "ice and snow" consumption market has now developed a relatively complete consumer ecosystem, including tourism, sports, related equipment, and culture, he said, noting that compared to summer consumption, the development of "ice and snow" consumption has only recently gained steam but it possesses strong potential for future growth.

South Korean soccer star Son Heung-min's goal celebration in their 3-0 away win over China on Tuesday aroused controversy on Chinese social media.

Chinese team was defeated by South Korea in their second group match of the second stage of 2026 World Cup Asian Zone qualifiers held in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province. 

Spurs star Son, who captains South Korean national team, bagged a first half brace before setting up teammate Jung Seung-hyun to add a third, putting South Korea on top of the group and in pole position to a secure spot at the 2026 World Cup.

However, Son's goal celebration caused uproars on Chinese social media with fans saying his gesture is highly disrespectful to the crowd. 

Playing in front of a sell-out crowd of more than 40,000 in Shenzhen, Son opened the scoring with a penalty on the 11th minute. In celebration, the man of the match rushed close to the stand and made a gesture of shushing to the Chinese fans. The gesture was met with jeers from the crowd.

Chinese strikers Wu Lei and Tan Long immediately went to argue with Son on the pitch over his provoking gesture.

"We need to respond to Son's disrespectful gesture by scoring and winning the match," said one user on China's Twitter-like platform Sina Weibo.

"It was a really difficult game today and obviously coming to China, it's a great experience and they have amazing fans," said Son after the match.

Having defeated Thailand 2-1 in the first match, China now stands third in Group C, level on points with the second-placed Thailand.

The top two teams from the nine groups progress to the third qualifying stage for the 2026 World Cup in North America.

The epic World War II HBO mini-series Band of Brothers recently made a return to Chinese screens, and is now available for streaming on video platforms such as Bilibili, Tencent Video, and Sohu Video. This re-release brings the critically acclaimed series back to the forefront for both longtime fans and a new generation of viewers in China.

Since its release on Bilibili, one of China's most active streaming websites, on Monday night, Band of Brothers has received more than 17,000 subscriptions from the platform's users and rated at 9.9 out of 10. More than 1,000 viewers simultaneously caught the show at around Tuesday midnight.
Produced by celebrated duo Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, Band of Brothers is an adaptation of historian Stephen E. Ambrose's novel by the same name.

The series offers an in-depth portrayal of the experiences of the Easy Company, part of the 101st Airborne Division during World War II, following the journey of officers and soldiers from conducting training in Georgia, to diving headlong into action in Normandy, surviving in Holland and Belgium, and eventually occupying Hitler's Eagle Nest.

At the time a relatively unknown Damian Lewis brilliantly headlined as Major Richard Winters, while Ron Livingston portrayed Winters' close friend Captain Lewis Nixon, whose striking resemblance to the character, coupled with his exquisite acting, continue to be lauded to this day.

Since its original premiere in 2001, the series has been lauded for its authentic battle scenes, deeply moving character developments, and the depiction of the soldiers' "bromance."

In 2003, the series was dubbed with Chinese and broadcast on China Central Television, attracting widespread attention and cementing its status as a classic in the eyes of a generation of Chinese audiences. To this day, it is still praised as one of "the must-watch American TV series," and is rated at a 9.6 out of 10 on Douban, China's version of iMDb.
"This series explores the complex relationship between war, humanity, and courage from a unique perspective. While lamenting the brutality of war, it also allows one to appreciate the brilliance of human nature," a netizen commented on Bilibili. "I still remember the scene when I watched this series as a child; it was incredibly shocking to me back then," said another.

Both new and returning viewers were pleasantly surprised to find some familiar faces in the series - actors who were then newcomers and have since become big stars, such as Michael Fassbender, Simon Pegg, James McAvoy, Andrew Scott, and others.

In September, Band of Brothers was made available on Netflix, along with another HBO war-themed mini-series The Pacific. The two iconic series' sequel, Masters of the Air, will be released in early 2024, media sources reported.

This re-launch on various streaming platforms enables a new generation of viewers to experience the series' powerful impact and historical significance. It also serves as a bridge to understanding the global efforts, including those of China and the US, in the anti-fascist war. The availability of Band of Brothers enriches cultural exchanges and mutual historical recognition between nations, honoring the shared legacy of those who fought in World War II, analysts said.

The Philadelphia Orchestra, a renowned US art group which embarked on a historic art icebreaking trip 1973, is scheduled to perform on Friday night in Beijing with China National Symphony Orchestra as an opening episode for a tour which will also make stops in Tianjin, Shanghai and Suzhou.

As the first American art group to perform in the People's Republic of China half a century ago, the orchestra has returned to China for their 12th visit after unexpected hiatus due to the pandemic.

"The pandemic is not the fault of either government, but has separated us," US ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said on Thursday addressing a reception commemorating the half century of friendship marked by music.

Both China and the US agree that we are in need of greater connections between the peoples, as the ballast of any relationship between two great countries is the people, Burns said.

The reception is hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). Yang Wanming, president of the CPAFFC, sensed American friends' concerns about the recent China-US relations through communication with them.

"Yet I have also felt the strong desire of various sectors in the US, especially from the people and local communities, to improve the current situation and the earnest hope for stable and healthy development of the bilateral relationship," Yang said in his speech on Thursday.

Despite many complications in the US-China relationship, the people of China and the US have a lot in common and need to come together, Burns told the Global Times.

"We need more of this [music exchanges], and we need sports diplomacy," the ambassador said, citing his latest experience of watching Shanghai Sharks, with American players, in basketball game with Beijing Ducks on Sunday.

Burns expressed his hope that more tourists, students and businesspeople could go back and forth between China and the US, as people are an integral part of any diplomatic relationship.

Matías Tarnopolsky, the orchestra's president and CEO, said that music has the power to connect and to build bridges.

"It has been our privilege to contribute in a meaningful way to US-China understanding and connection for the past half-century. We hope that our music-making will continue to build bridges between our people and cultures for another 50 years," Tarnopolsky said.

Violinist Davyd Booth, 74, was on the historic tour in 1973 and every China visit since then. He shared with the Global Times in an earlier interview his vivid memories of the first tour and the development he has witnessed over the past 50 years.

"The friendship between the two countries bridges all sorts of gaps as music brings everyone together. Now we have many Chinese members in the Philadelphia Orchestra. China is really a part of us," said Booth.
Musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra performed excerpts from "Flax and Charlock" Fantasie Quartet, an excerpt from "Lan Hua Hua," adapted from traditional Chinese folk music that originated in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

They also cooperated with children from Beijing Philharmonic Choir to perform the traditional Chinese song "Jasmine Flower."

It is hoped that the children, and more people of younger generations, will inherit the cause of China-US exchanges and carry on the mission of friendship for the next half century and beyond, a reception attendee told the Global Times.