Philadelphia Orchestra: Sino-American friendship across the Pacific

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On November 10, a concert commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Philadelphia Orchestra's first visit to China was staged at the National Center for the Performing Arts. Over the past half-century, the Philadelphia Orchestra has made important contributions to the mutual understanding and relationship between China and the United States. The orchestra's visit is a continuation of its musical friendship that has spanned half a century with the Chinese people.

In 1973, the Philadelphia Orchestra visited China for the first time, becoming a "cultural envoy" that broke the ice in China-U.S. relations in history. Since then, the orchestra has visited China 12 times, witnessing the great changes in the Chinese music industry, and also keeping the friendship between China and the United States in musical notes.

"The U.S.-China relationship is going to get better, and I think a lot of that has to do with the music exchange, which goes both ways," says Davyd Booth, a violinist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, who was lucky enough to travel to China with the orchestra 50 years ago. In his view, music is a universal language that transcends cultural barriers and builds bridges between people.

Matias Tarnopolsky, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Orchestra, wrote to Chinese President Xi Jinping before his visit. He believes that the Philadelphia Orchestra's tour not only marks a deeper cultural exchange but is also an important milestone in bilateral diplomatic relations between China and the United States. "The relationship between the Philadelphia Orchestra and China is special," he said. "It's emblematic of the power of music to create connections, bonds and understanding between people."

Recently, in his reply to Tarnopolsky's letter, President Xi emphasized that music transcends borders and culture builds bridges. He expressed his hope that the Philadelphia Orchestra and artists from various countries, including China and the United States, will adhere to the principles of equal civilization, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness. He also called for close communication and cooperation to promote artistic prosperity, and to continue the new chapter of cultural exchanges and friendly relations between the Chinese and American people.

Due to many factors such as trade disputes, the COVID-19 pandemic, the high-tech blockade against China, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, China-U.S. relations have deteriorated sharply since 2018. Sino-U.S. relations are at the lowest point since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties, triggering strong concerns in the international community about a "new Cold War." As Singapore's Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said, destructive decoupling will adversely impact global economic growth, supply chain resilience, as well as food and energy security.

In November 2022, the heads of state of China and the United States met in Bali. China proposed the three principles of "mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation." The United States also made a positive statement of "six doesn'ts" and "five no intentions," including that the U.S. does not seek a "new Cold War," does not seek to change China's system, does not seek to strengthen alliances against China, does not support "Taiwan independence," and has no intention to start a conflict with China.

Faced with the mounting pressure from the United States, China is neither humble nor arrogant, responding to injustice with integrity, and has been committed to promoting Sino-U.S. relations to truly stabilize and improve. In recent months, senior U.S. government officials have visited China many times, high-level interactions between the two countries have increased significantly, and the trend of warming ties is gradually gaining momentum.

It is widely acknowledged that the maintenance of China-U.S. relations, without any divergence or digression, is imperative for upholding the shared interests of both nations and their respective citizenries, as well as for fostering global peace and prosperity. However, the crux of the matter lies in whether the United States will persist in the practice of "saying one thing and doing another" towards China. With the approaching of the 2024 presidential election, widely regarded as the most significant "grey rhino" event in U.S. domestic politics, the "China card" is poised to regain prominence as a subject of fervent discussion.

According to Scott Kennedy, a scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, there is a glimmer of hope for the revival of China-U.S. bilateral relations in light of recent exchanges. However, Kennedy maintains a cautious stance regarding this trend. Similarly, Gal Luft, co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, agrees that increased interaction between China and the United States can contribute to the amelioration of bilateral relations. Nonetheless, Luft emphasizes the need for tangible outcomes resulting from such interactions.

The thawing of official relations has also spurred the resumption of people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States. Since June of this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping has held numerous meetings with and replied to letters from American well-wishers, expressing China's sincerity and determination to revive people-to-people exchanges between the two nations. Encouragingly, there has been a notable increase in activity across local, non-governmental, cultural, educational and think tank spheres, thereby exerting a significant influence on the stabilization and revitalization of China-U.S. relations.

During his meeting with California Governor Gavin Newsom, President Xi emphasized that the foundation and hope of China-U.S. relations lies with the people, the future lies with the youth, and the vitality lies with sub-national entities.Given the backdrop of the United States maintaining its perception of China as its primary competitor and a significant geopolitical challenge, the significance of people-to-people exchanges in shaping China-U.S. relations will only grow more pronounced.

By coincidence, on the evening of the concert commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Philadelphia Orchestra's first visit to China, China's Foreign Ministry announced that Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden and attend the 30th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in San Francisco upon invitation of the U.S. China-U.S. relations have officially entered "San Francisco time."

This is achieved based on the bilateral consensus to "return to Bali," but the "road to San Francisco" will not be smooth. As some experts have pointed out, the latest interaction between China and the U.S. shows that the U.S. is no longer the sole power in the world, and in the face of China's expanding global influence, the U.S. has to find a new approach to coexist with China.

Many people wish that China-U.S. relations can walk out of the "cold winter" in the beautiful symphony of the Philadelphia Orchestra. China and the U.S. should uphold this hard-won period of detente, work together to meet each other halfway, and prevent China-U.S. relations from suffering a "cold snap during the spring." As former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers said, China and the U.S. are like "two strong men in a rowboat in a turbulent sea," and "both of them need to be rowing in unison if they are going to get to that shore."

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