Twice in four months, US President Trump mentioned the same merchant ship—the Empress of China—at state banquets, pointing to the same city: Guangzhou. In 1784, the ship's maiden voyage to Guangzhou opened the first chapter of China-US trade.

Gu Jianqing, a researcher with the Guangdong Provincial Government Culture and History Research Institute, says the story shows that China-US exchanges began with mutually beneficial business cooperation. The voyage also helped Americans learn about Chinese culture, art and daily life, spreading Chinese culture across the Americas and opening a window for the West to understand the East. 

As both witness and starting point of that friendly exchange, Guangzhou should continue leveraging its role as the cradle of the ancient Maritime Silk Road, he said.

Jiang Yinghe, a history professor at Sun Yat-sen University, offers three key insights. 

First, China and the US have needed each other from the start: the US needed China's market, and China welcomed a new trading partner. Today, their economies remain deeply interdependent. 

Second, people-to-people exchanges have always been a vital foundation for stable ties. 

Third, history shows cooperation delivers longer-term gains than confrontation. After the Empress of China, bilateral trade grew rapidly—the US gained a market, and China expanded its international commercial network. When both sides build a mutually beneficial relationship, both peoples benefit.

Source: Guangzhou Daily
English Author & Editor: Lyu Yun