Thousands Line Up In D.C. For Chinese Cultural Tour Despite Tensions

Forbes

07-05-2025

Thousands attended an open house at China's embassy in Washington, D.C. on Saturday. Russell Flannery
U.S.-China trade tensions that have disrupted business between the two sides didn't derail a scheduled cultural open house at the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C. over the weekend. According to embassy figures, more than 10,000 visitors waited in a line that wrapped around the block where the country's main diplomatic offices in the U.S. are located for a tour that focused on inland Gansu province.
Not as well-known as major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, Gansu boasts the ancient city of Dunhuang, a regional and cultural hub along China's ancient Silk Road.
The gathering was part of an 'Around the World Embassy Tour' in which 60 embassies open their doors and shared their culture with residents and visitors from around the world, according to organizer Events DC. Other participating embassies ranged from Japan and Thailand in Asia to Norway and the United Kingdom in Europe.
'Visitors 'travel the world' as they experience food, art, dance, fashion, music, innovations and manufactured goods from different countries. Each embassy decides what unique aspect of its country it wants to present to the public,' according to an event introduction.
China's popular Lanzhou beef noodles hail from Gansu. Russell Flannery
Gansu dance, song and images were highlighted. Ambassador Xie Feng in a speech noted the province's longstanding ties to the U.S., such as work by the Dunhuang Academy with the Getty Conservation Institute to protect the area's Mogao Caves. More than 400 visitors to the embassy enjoyed a free bowl of Lanzhou beef noodles – a style associated with the city of Lanzhou, Gansu's capital.
Current U.S.-China trade disputes didn't go undiscussed at the cultural event. 'Tariff hikes benefit no one,' Xie noted. 'They disrupt business, raise costs, rattle financial markets and slow down global growth. China does not want a trade war, but is not intimidated by it,' he said. 'If the U.S. wants to talk, it should act in the spirit of equality, respect, and reciprocity.'
For his part, President Donald Trump over the weekend defended his administration's policies toward China in an interview with 'Meet the Press.'
'We were very tough with China, as you know,' Trump said on Sunday, according to a NBC transcript. 'We put 145% tariff on. Nobody's ever heard of such a thing. And we've essentially cut off trade relationships by putting that much of a tariff on. And that's okay. We've gone cold turkey. That means that we're not losing.'
Though noting the potential for talks between the two sides, Trump later added: 'We were losing hundreds of billions of dollars with China. Now we're essentially not doing business with China. Therefore, we're saving hundreds of billions of dollars. Very simple.'
Illustrating how ties between the two global giants remain in flux, however, the U.S. announced on Tuesday afternoon that Treasury Secretary Scott K.H. Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will travel to Geneva, Switzerland later this week for talks with Chinese representatives.
Though trade differences rage, Saturday's D.C. event if nothing else shows how a flow of cultural exchanges and interest between the two sides continues.
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