Speech by Consul General Wang Baodong at the screening reception of the documentary “Chinese Puzzle”

Dear guests,

Teachers, students and friends,

Good evening!

On behalf of the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago, it is my great pleasure to welcome you all here to attend the screening reception of the documentary “Chinese Puzzle”. 

On this occasion, I’d like to extend my gratitude to the teachers and volunteers who have been dedicated to Chinese language education and the sharing of Chinese culture in the U.S. I’d also like to express my appreciation to all the friends who care about and support China-U.S. cultural exchange and cooperation!

Language is a vessel of human civilization. In this rapidly evolving era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the power of human language remains as strong as ever, though we have OpenAI of the U.S. and DeepSeek of China as artificial language tools. It is not just a tool but also a bridge, fostering connection and understanding. With the deepening interaction between China and the world, a global surge in learning Chinese and speaking Mandarin is gaining bigger momentum. As the crystallization of the Chinese civilization of 5,000 thousand years, Chinese has become one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. More than 180 countries and regions have incorporated Chinese language into their education system, and over 30 million foreigners are currently learning Chinese. As Senator Stephenson of the State of Utah put it, who was supposed to be with us, promoting Chinese language education in the U.S. is a way to help American students embrace the future. Many other American friends also told me that learning Chinese will not only help American public to gain insight into the foundation of the contemporary Chinese culture, but will also bring them infinite possibilities to connect with the world and expand their lives.

Dear friends,

Language is also the best key to understand a country. In today’s world, the international landscape and global governance system are undergoing dramatic changes, but the degree of interconnection and interdependence between countries has also increased to an unprecedented level. Under this background and behind the surge in Chinese language learning lies the resonance of ideas. As many of you may have known,  Chinese President Xi Jinping introduced the Global Civilization Initiative in 2023 and he pointed out that Chinese culture contains the cosmological view of the unity of man and nature, the international view of harmony between all countries, the social view of harmony in diversity, and the moral view of kindness and benevolence. These values are actually very identical with many American values, aren’t they? After saying that, as an ancient Chinese saying goes, “Heart-to-heart communication makes lasting friendship.” China always stands ready to join hands with all peoples committed to justice, peace and development, to build a new type of international relations centered on win-win cooperation and further to build a community with a shared future for mankind as proposed by President Xi.

Dear friends,

The beauty of Chinese language lies in its form, structure and rhythm. Chinese people refer to the U.S. as “美国” , where “美” means beautiful in Chinese. This embodies our sincere wishes for the prosperity of the U.S. and best wishes for sound development of China-U.S. relations. The Chinese character “人” which means “people” consists of two supporting strokes. This shows that only by viewing each other as partners and friends, engaging more in interactions and exchanges, can China-U.S. relations develop healthily. The Chinese character “信” means "trust". Its left side is “人” and the right side “言” which means “words”. When the two parts are put together, it means people keeping their words win trust. President Xi and President Trump had a phone conversation three weeks ago and reached important consensus on further advancing China-U.S. relations at a new starting pointing. Regrettably, the U.S. imposed additional tariffs on Chinese exports and the pretext of fentanyl-related issues regardless of China’s major efforts in counter-narcotics cooperation with the U.S. We believe that tariffs war and trade war have no winners, and China have no choice but take necessary actions to defend its legitimate interests. We hope that the U.S. would translate the positive commitments regarding China-U.S. relations into concrete policies and substantial actions, adhere to mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation. Only by strengthening dialogue and communication, properly managing differences, and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation can China and the U.S. find the right way to coexist in the new era.

Dear friends,

We just watched the documentary “Chinese Puzzle” together. The Shanghai Media Group team spent six months traveling across 15 states in the U.S., provided a panoramic view of Chinese language teaching and learning in the U.S. Thank you for your contribution to people-to-people exchanges between China and the U.S. There is an old saying goes that “Seeing is believing”. As of the end of last year, at the invitation of President Xi’s “Inviting 50,000 American youth to visit and study in China over the next five years” initiative, over 16,000 American students have already traveled to China. At the same time, attracted by the convenient visa policies, many American bloggers have traveled to various parts of China, where they were amazed by China’s beautiful landscapes, delicious food, and rich culture. Many of today’s guests have deep connections with China. You are all envoys of China-U.S. friendship. I hope that the torch of friendship between our two nations will be passed down from generation to generation, contributing the energy to the healthy and stable development of China-U.S. relations!

Thank you all!