Part III

Minister Zhao Qizheng of the State Council Information Office said at the opening ceremony, China and the U.S. are two great nations, and their relationship is not only highly important to the two countries, but also to peace and development the world over.

During his first visit to China in 1972, President Nixon said that to the American people China was a remote and mysterious country on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. Nearly 30 years later, this sense of mystery has reduced remarkably, but the level of mutual understanding between the two countries is still very far from where it should have been.

Understanding and friendship of the two peoples are the foundation stone of bilateral relationship. China Cultural Exchange 2000 is designed precisely to lay such a foundation stone.