On April 24, Consul General Wang Baodong attended the event in Des Moines commemorating the 40th anniversary of President Xi Jinping’s first visit to Iowa. Approximately 150 people participated, including former U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad, Luca Berrone, former President of the World Food Prize Foundation Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, and other ‘old friends’ from Iowa and members of various sectors. Yang Wanming, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Zhao Xinhai, Vice Governor of Hebei Province, as well as representatives from the governments of Shijiazhuang City and Zhengding County were also present.

In his speech, Consul General Wang stated that the friendship between the Chinese people and the people of Iowa has grown under the personal care and support of President Xi Jinping. Over the past 40 years, it has stood the test of time and become a model of people-to-people friendship between China and the United States. He expressed hope that the younger generation in Iowa would actively participate in the “50000 in 5 Years” initiative to carry forward this valuable friendship. He called on the U.S. to work with China in the same direction, adhering to the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, in order to explore the right way for the two countries to get along, and continue writing the touching stories of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between the Chinese and American peoples.