Flying Tigers serve as model for efforts to give wings to Sino-US relations

Tales of friendship forged in war offer timeless lessons on how efforts can be pursued to open the door wider to cooperation between China and the United States. That consensus emerged during an online event that envisaged not only a better future for the two countries but also for the world.

On Tuesday, participants gathered virtually to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Flying Tigers' arrival in China. The heroism of the US fighter pilots and the Chinese forces they served alongside were recounted at the event, which sought to help keep alive the spirit of cooperation in a world facing shared threats including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

"What we have learned from the story of the Flying Tigers is that, human beings are different in races, languages, and cultures, but for the sake of world peace and justice, as well as the welfare of all peoples around the world, the Chinese and American peoples are fully able to work in solidarity and fight side by side," said Lin Songtian, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the organizer of the webinar.

In 1941, the volunteer pilots who went on to become celebrated as the Flying Tigers began to help China drive back the Japanese invaders.

They also flew over the Himalayas, helping to ship strategic supplies to China to help the Chinese break through the Japanese blockade. The US pilots left China in 1944.

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang said the Flying Tigers are a symbol of the deep friendship between the two peoples, and their example also sheds light on ways to address the challenges of today and tomorrow.

"China and the US should carry on the legacy of the spirit of solidarity and friendship, instead of heading to the road of misunderstandings and conflicts," said the envoy, who called on the two countries to share responsibilities to meet challenges and find a way toward a better future for humankind.

The event also drew veterans who recounted the stories shared and the friendships forged with Chinese people.

Bill Peterson, a 95-year-old Flying Tigers veteran, told of how he and his fellow airmen would go to nearby villages when they had a night off and give the children and their parents food packages.

"We could not speak Chinese, but we could tell from their eyes what they felt in their hearts," he said. "I just plain love the Chinese people."

The veteran said he has done everything he can to promote good relations with China. "I mention China at least three times a day to people I interact with," told the gathering.

"If the US people could meet the Chinese people in person, they could understand how peaceful and loving they truly are."

Larry Jobe, president of the Flying Tiger Historical Organization, praised the special bond forged 80 years ago, which opens a door to boosting mutual understanding and cooperation in the present and the future.

"Emulating the Chinese people and Flying Tigers of World War II in confronting a seemingly unbeatable enemy as a team of friends working together for the good of all is demanded today if we are to succeed against the current enemies of our troubled world," he said.

"Certainly the crisis of climate change, COVID, other diseases yet to surface, lack of fresh water due to drought, starvation and many ills, are common enemies today, enemies against which we all need to unite in a fight for the common good."