The Chinese Embassy in the U.S. and the Washington International Piano Arts Council (WIPAC) co-hosted the WIPAC Winners’ Classic Circle Gala Concert in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, August 10. More than 150 guests, including musicians and members of the U.S. cultural and arts community, attended the event. Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., Xie Feng, delivered remarks.
Ambassador Xie described music as “a bridge that connects hearts across borders and differences,” emphasizing its role in promoting mutual learning and harmonious coexistence among different civilizations. He added that music unites people for the good, celebrates peace, and conveys hope.
Xie noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed the Global Civilization Initiative, which values the inheritance and innovation of civilizations and calls for greater international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.
He highlighted China’s growing cultural industry, which now includes nearly 1,000 concert halls and opera houses, more than 80 orchestras, and over 40 million teenagers learning piano. These developments, he said, create “huge potential for music exchanges and cooperation between China and the U.S.”
Ambassador Xie stressed that peace is a common pursuit of people around the globe. He recalled how the people of China and the United States fought side by side during the World Anti-Fascist War to safeguard world peace. In today’s changing and turbulent world, he emphasized, it is more important than ever for countries to work together in solidarity, transcend estrangement and conflict with an open mind, and shape the future of humanity with foresight.
“As the world’s two largest economies and permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and the U.S. share a special obligation, and should live up to our mission of upholding peace, solidarity, and amity, so to be responsible for history, for the people, and for the world,” he said.
Xie noted that President Xi and U.S. President Donald Trump have spoken twice by phone this year, reaching important consensus on improving and developing bilateral relations. He urged the two countries to take mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation as guiding principles, and to “find the right way to get along with each other so as to jointly perform a symphony of the era.”
The ambassador also welcomed more Americans to visit China, highlighting the expanded visa-free transit policy for 55 countries, including the U.S., and the booming trends of “China travel” and “China shopping.”
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Ambassador Xie Feng: Music as a bridge for peace and friendship
