Guests attending a symposium of the Kuliang Friends plant trees in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, June 28, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

China hopes and encourages the peoples of China and the United States to make more visits, contacts and exchanges, and jointly write new stories of friendship between the two peoples in the new era, foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday.

Wang made the remarks at a regular press briefing when asked to comment on the public letter sent by London N. Breed, Mayor of San Francisco, California, together with leaders from various sectors to President Xi Jinping.

The letter reflected on Xi's speech at a welcome dinner hosted by friendly organizations in the United States last November which focused on the people-to-people foundation of the U.S.-China bilateral relationship, noting that San Francisco can provide a uniquely significant foothold for this people-to-people relationship, expressing the support for a stronger friendship between the two countries on that people-to-people basis, and saying that San Francisco stands ready to welcome pandas to the San Francisco Zoo.

Wang said that in November last year, President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden met with each other in San Francisco, reaching a number of common understandings on growing the bilateral relations, fostering the San Francisco vision, and charting the course for the steady, sound and sustainable development of the China-U.S. relations.

"President Xi pointed out, the hope of the China-U.S. relationship lies in the people, its foundation is in our societies, its future depends on the youth, and its vitality comes from exchanges at subnational levels." Wang said, "We hope and encourage the peoples of our two countries to make more visits, contacts and exchanges, and jointly write new stories of friendship between the two peoples and cooperation between the two countries in the new era."

Noting that giant pandas are envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples, Wang said China stands ready to continue carrying out giant panda conservation cooperation with the U.S. to enhance the friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples.