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"What happened over the years is I began to understand that U.S.-China relations would fundamentally affect the American people. If it was good, it would mean a better life for the American people. If it was bad, it would mean a worse life for the American people," said Orlins.

SHANGHAI, April 1 (Xinhua) — A constructive relationship between the United States and China will not only benefit the two countries but also make the world better, Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee of U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR), told Xinhua in a recent interview in Shanghai.

"I love China because I love the United States," Orlins said, "What happened over the years is I began to understand that U.S.-China relations would fundamentally affect the American people. If it was good, it would mean a better life for the American people. If it was bad, it would mean a worse life for the American people."

On Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with representatives from American business, strategic, and academic communities. Xi welcomed the U.S. guests, including Orlins, to China in the blooming spring.

"It was an outstanding meeting, very relaxed," Orlins said. He also shared his take on the meeting with Xi on social media X, saying that President Xi "made a compelling case for why the U.S. and China must cooperate" and that "we were all deeply impressed and recommitted to building a cooperative U.S.-China relationship that benefits the peoples of both countries."

A member of a delegation of high school students from the U.S. state of Washington shows her brush calligraphy work at Zhixin High School in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, March 24, 2024. [Xinhua/Lu Hanxin]

From 1976 to 1979, Orlins served in the Office of the Legal Advisor of the United States Department of State and was a member of the legal team that helped establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.

Since 2005, he has been president of the NCUSCR, a non-profit organization that promotes understanding and cooperation between the two countries.

"Over time, I came to China, helped to establish diplomatic relations, came to China and then as a result of that fell in love with China, too," he added.

While "there are so many challenges and there are so many opportunities" for U.S.-China relations, Orlins called upon both sides to "focus on what we can do together on the cooperation more than the competition," believing that "a peaceful, productive, and constructive U.S.-China relationship is going to make this world a better place."

"We can cooperate on climate change. We can cooperate on AI (Artificial Intelligence). We can cooperate on counterterrorism. We can cooperate on investment," he said. "There are so many things which, when we cooperate, we make the lives of the people of the United States and the people of China better."

Participants from China and the United States take selfies during an event to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of Ping-Pong Diplomacy in Fremont, California, the United States, Dec. 15, 2023. [Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua]

Orlins agrees that the foundation of China-U.S. relations lies in the people. Looking back at history, he noted that the famous Ping-Pong Diplomacy, which paved the way for diplomatic and political breakthroughs between the two countries, also "created the beginnings of the people-to-people relationship" because "it changed the views of the Chinese about America and Americans about China."

"When you have a close people-to-people relationship, the government, the policies follow," Orlins pointed out. "What we need to be doing now is having more people-to-people exchanges."

Xinhua reporters You Zhixin and Sun Qing also contributed to this report.

(Source: Xinhua)