Festive greeting card sent in reply to US friends

China and the United States "have broad common interests and vast space for cooperation", President Xi Jinping said.

Xi made the remark in a Chinese New Year greeting card that was sent on Monday in reply to 58 friends in the US state of Iowa with his best wishes for Spring Festival, which falls on Wednesday.

The two countries "can be partners and friends, achieve mutual success and common prosperity, and benefit both countries and the world", he said.

Earlier, Iowa friends including Luca Berrone, Gary Dvorchak, Sarah Lande, former US ambassador to China Terry Branstad and Kenneth Quinn, former president of the World Food Prize Foundation, signed and sent a Chinese New Year greeting card to Xi, extending their good wishes for the Year of the Snake.

Representatives of teachers, students and parents from Iowa who visited China as part of the initiative to invite 50,000 young US people to China over the course of five years for exchange and study programs also signed the card.

In his card sent in reply, Xi recalled the warm reception he received from the Iowa friends during his visit to the state 40 years ago and expressed his hope that the people of the two countries will have more exchanges, jointly continue writing the story of friendship, and make fresh contributions to the development of China-US relations.