Reflections

So Close and Yet So Far: Ten Years After Chinese President Xi Visited the Heartland

Ten years have passed since Mr. Xi Jinping, then Vice President of China, made a historic visit to the heartland of America.
Mr. Xi was returning to Muscatine, IA, where nearly a quarter-century before, he had spent six months as a young county-level cadre member of the Hebei Shijiazhuang Prefecture Corn Processing delegation. Chinese officials said Mr. Xi was grateful for the hospitality of his hosts and enjoyed his time living in rural America. He wanted to visit with old friends and relive those memories.

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USHCA Leadership’s Outlook for 2022 – Amb. Quinn

As we begin the year 2022, I am focused on the fact that February 15 – 16 will mark the 10th anniversary of then Vice President Xi Jinping’s historic return to the American Heartland.

During that trip, President Xi first visited the home of Sarah Lande in Muscatine, Iowa, one of the individuals who had welcomed him in 1985 when, as a county level official from Hebei Province, he made his first visit to the United States.

Vice President Xi then came to Des Moines for a “state dinner” at the magnificent Iowa State Capitol hosted by Governor (and future Ambassador to China) Terry Branstad.

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2021 Presidential Youth Leadership Initiative Reflection

During the summer of my freshman year at college, I was taking a career preparation course and the instructor asked all of us a novel and provoking question: “What’s your epitaph after death?” I thought twice and gave my answer: “To burn passion for an admirable cause.” This answer aligns with the goal I chose before entering the college, which refers to a sentence from a Chinese writer Zhiyuan Xu: “Students learn from the books in the high school. When they enter the college, they should broaden their vision and learn from everywhere.”

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Thank you Ambassador Cui

Thank you Ambassador Cui!

Ambassador Cui Tiankai, China’s top diplomatic representative to the US for the last eight years, departed Washington in late June in time to return home for the centennial anniversary celebration of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party on July 1.

It was during a succession of events in the Heartland, and in particular in my home state of Iowa, that I had a number of  opportunities to interact with Ambassador Cui and to join in promoting “citizen diplomacy” efforts to enhance friendly relations between the Chinese and American peoples. 

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USHCA Members Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with Personal Reflections

Suisheng Zhao (赵穗生), Strategic Advisor of USHCA I was given the American name “Sam” after coming to this great nation many years ago. I used “Sam” for many years because I wanted to be Americanized. After a recent soul search

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