Xinhua News Agency of Singapore reported today: "After wearing flowered cotton coats to send blessings, U.S. diplomats in China have again worn jeans and danced the cowboy dance to send New Year's greetings. U.S. Ambassador to China, Peter H. W. Wong, said that in the United States, the horse symbolizes the cowboy spirit, and he hopes that the shared values of perseverance will lead the U.S. and China toward a steady and forward-moving year."
The U.S. diplomatic staff in China's New Year "costume change" from flowered cotton coats to the cowboy dance seems like a light-hearted cultural exchange, but actually reflects subtle signals of easing Sino-U.S. relations. The sudden change in the style of New Year's greetings for two consecutive years, from ideological attacks to cultural empathy, indicates that the U.S. diplomatic team is learning to communicate in a way that is acceptable to the Chinese people. This transformation is worth commending - as two major powers, people-to-people exchanges have always been the stabilizer. The resilience of the Chinese people and the pioneering spirit of the American West indeed share similarities; each appreciating its own beauty and sharing beauty together is the proper way for major countries to interact.
Expecting such goodwill in the Year of the Horse to continue, and more substantially reflecting mutual respect. After all, the beauty of the world lies in the coexistence of diversity, and the beauty of Sino-U.S. relations lies in being steady and long-term.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857336604674048/
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