Word4Asia Consulting International will co-host the 5th Amity Cup International Table Tennis Philanthropic Tournament organized by the Amity Foundation to promote Sino-US friendship.
During a meeting with the Chinese Association for International Understanding (CAFIU) in Beijing on March 21, Dr. Gene Wood, founder, and president of Word4Asia Consulting International, who revisited China last month, mentioned that in October of this year, they will co-host tournament with the Amity Foundation to promote Sino-US ties, said the foundation.
Wood stated that since his first visit to China in 1998, he has had a strong bond with China through over a hundred visits. He believed that there were some misunderstandings between China and the United States in the past due to limited face-to-face communication. For his trip to improve Sino-US relations through the efforts of non-governmental forces, he hoped that Word4Asia would become a positive force in promoting Sino-US person-to-personexchanges.
John Brooks, a member of the delegation, said that although some might worry that the rise of one side of China-US relations would come at the expense of the other, he confirmed that people from these two countries shared mutual love, as seen from his many visits to China.
Ai Ping, vice president of the CAFIU, pointed out that China's development was beneficial to the people of the world. They not only needed diplomats but also relied on more non-governmental forces to improve China-US relations. He hoped that both China and the United States would strengthen exchanges to contribute to the development of the world through non-governmental channels, such as the CAFIU - a group member of the China Association for NGO Cooperation, which is a platform-type organization for promoting exchanges between Chinese and foreign people. He also recalled the participation and support of senior leaders of the Amity Foundation, such as Bishop K. H. Ting and Han Wenzao, in the early years of the CAFIU's work, as well as their contributions to China's international exchanges. In addition, he also made suggestions for American friends on how to deepen their understanding of Chinese history and culture.
Gu Chuanyong, vice board chair of the Amity Foundation, quoted Chairman Mao's famous saying, "In times of difficulty, we must not lose sight of our achievements and must see the bright future," to express his expectations for the development of China-US relations. He said that hosting the competition will continue the story of "Ping Pong Diplomacy," which began 53 years ago. Under the spirit of "friendship first, competition second," with the new idea of "sports plus charity," Sino-US people-to-people exchanges would be promoted.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
