Chair Gardecki,
President Fuller,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Fellow music lovers,

Welcome to the Chinese Embassy for a feast of music! Dr. Albert Einstein once said, “If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician.” It is my great honor to be the Honorary Chair and Patron Ambassador of the WIPAC Winners’ Classic Circle, thus taking another step into the wonderful world of music. As the Washington International Piano Arts Council celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, let me extend my warm congratulations to the Council, and also my heartfelt gratitude to the musicians who will bring us a fabulous performance today!

Music is a bridge that connects hearts across borders and differences. Over half a century ago, the Philadelphia Orchestra became the first American orchestra to visit China, taking with it “the friendship of 200 million American people”. In 1979, under the baton of Conductor Seiji Ozawa, musicians from the Boston Symphony Orchestra and China co-presented an amazing concert. Breaking through the gloom of the Cold War, “music diplomacy” played a positive role in the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. During President Richard Nixon’s ice-breaking visit to China in 1972, the melody America The Beautiful resounded across the Great Hall of the People. To welcome Mr. Deng Xiaoping visiting the U.S. in 1979, 100 American children sang in Chinese the song I Love Beijing Tiananmen, a story still fondly remembered now.

Today, prestigious conservatories like Juilliard and Curtis are cultivating art and goodwill between our two countries. Pianists such as Lang Lang and Yuja Wang have taken the global stage. Hollywood musicals drew full houses in China, while the Chinese ballet Chinese New Year and dance drama A Tapestry of a Legendary Land were warmly received here in the U.S. Music, as a bridge for dialogue and mutual understanding, has brought our two peoples closer to each other. This has again proven that the headwinds of politics cannot hold back our people from reaching out to each other, and differences should not be an obstacle to our bilateral relations.

Music epitomizes mutual learning and harmonious coexistence among different civilizations.In China, elegant imperial court music, exotic melodies and lively folk tunes come together in perfect harmony, giving our music its unique charm. In the recent decades, the magic chemistry between piano, “the king of instruments”, and traditional Chinese music has injected new life into famous Chinese tunes such as “Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon” and “A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix”. Fritz Kreisler composed the piece “Tambourin Chinois”, and Kenny G adapted “Jasmine Flower” for saxophone, showcasing China’s contribution to world music.

The Global Civilization Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping highlights the importance of inheritance and innovation of civilizations and calls for greater international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. The revenue of China’s cultural industry last year hit a new record high. Concert halls and opera houses in China have mushroomed, totaling nearly 1,000. The number of orchestras has exceeded 80. More than 40 million Chinese teenagers are learning piano. All these mean huge potential for music exchanges and cooperation between China and the U.S. China is ready to work with all to promote inclusiveness, coexistence, exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations, and break new ground in people-to-people exchanges and cultural integration among countries.

Music unites people for the good, celebrates peace and conveys hope. Art is an eternal quest for the true, the good and the beautiful. Today, we will hear “The Yellow River” Piano Concerto, which is China’s most famous and most widely spread piano piece. With passionate and powerful melodies, the timeless piece is an ode to the Chinese nation fighting fearlessly against fascism, inspiring sons and daughters of China to forge ahead in unity.

Eight decades ago, in the World Anti-Fascist War, a war of justice bearing on the future of humanity, the people of China and the U.S. fought side by side, forged a profound friendship amid the trials of blood and fire, and jointly safeguarded world peace. Last month, over 1,000 young Chinese and Americans sang together for peace during the “Bond with Kuliang: 2025 China-U.S. Youth Choir Festival”. More than 3,000 representatives from across the world gathered at the World Youth Conference for Peace in Beijing, and jointly issued an initiative for peace. Peace is a common pursuit of people around the globe. May there be more advocates of the vision of peace, champions of peaceful development, and promoters of peace and friendship.

Dear friends,

In this changing and turbulent world, it is more important than ever for countries to work together in solidarity, transcend estrangement and conflict with an open mind, and shape human future 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.

Peaceful coexistence should be our natural choice, equality and mutual respect are the premise for our engagement, and dialogue and cooperation are our only right option. When two world-class orchestras perform together, the conductor needs to set the tempo and shape the dynamics, and all the musicians need to work closely to ensure cohesion. This is also true in China-U.S. relations. Since the start of this year, President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump spoke twice on the phone, and reached important consensus on improving and developing bilateral relations. We need to follow the baton of the consensus reached between the two leaders during their calls, focus on mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation as the leitmotif, and find the right way to get along with each other so as to jointly perform a symphony of the era.

Both the Chinese and American people love family, music and peace. We have every reason to become good friends and partners. China welcomes people from the U.S. and all around the world to explore a beautiful, open and real China. We now offer unilateral and mutual visa exemptions to 75 countries, and have expanded the 240-hour visa-free transit policy to 55 nations including the U.S. “China travel” and “China shopping” are booming. I would like to encourage friends from WIPAC to visit China in the future, and write new chapters of China-U.S. friendship with piano and music as a bridge.

I wish the concert a great success. Thank you very much.