In letter to Iowa friends, Xi offers reassurance over Sino-American relations

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,iin a reply to Iowa friends ahead of an expected meeting with President Donald ⁠Trump in April.
“The hope of U.S.-China relations lies in the people,” Xi wrote on Monday 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, Xi said in a New Year’s greeting to Sarah Lande, another friend from his Iowa trip, that the world required stability in U.S.-China ties, which were strained during the pandemic.
U.S.-China relations had a tumultuous 2025, with Trump in October threatening to impose additional 100% tariffs on imports from China.
But 2025 saw a revival in people-to-people ties as Trump’s threatened TikTok ban pushed American netizens onto Chinese app RedNote.