Chinese art master Fan Zeng creates couplets for upcoming APEC meeting

The news that the top leaders of China and the United States are set to meet in San Francisco during the 30th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting drew great attention from the international community. It is highly hoped that relationship of the two countries will be stabilized under the guidance of the top leaders, and inject positive energy into the prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region and the rest of the world.

Ahead of the special occasion, Fan Zeng, Chinese art master, chair professor of Peking University and tenured professor of Nankai University, sent his wishes for the upcoming meeting by creating a pair of couplets.

The first couplet says "to seek common ground while reserving differences," and the second couplet says "when we see a man of virtue and talent, we should think of equaling them." Fan said that the content of this pair of couplets, which originated from traditional Chinese culture, has been cited by former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon many times.  

Fan Zeng said that since today's world is far from stable and the international situation is embroiled in turmoil, China-U.S. relations are at a critical crossroads. He noted that in today's world, there is no more important bilateral relationship than the one between China and the United States.

He went on to say that China and the United States are the top two economies in the world, with a total economic output exceeding one-third of the world and a population accounting for nearly a quarter. Only through cooperation can China and the United States solve the global problems. So, by sending this antithetical couplet to the summit, he was expressing his hope that the two countries could strengthen communication and exchanges by keeping an open mind and seeking common ground, shelving their differences and regarding each other with kindness, to benefit both countries and the world and jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.