Xi Jinping and his four-decade bond with Iowan friends

In April, another group of Muscatine students arrived in Hebei. They made a special trip to Zhengding county to visit the place where Xi once worked.

Lucas Berrone, board of directors of Iowa Sister States, escorted the students on the trip. Berrone met Xi in 1985. He mapped out a two-week itinerary for Xi's first Iowa tour and spent hours driving the delegation to farms and plants. Their friendship has endured over the decades.

Berrone sees these exchange trips as an opportunity to introduce a new generation to the friendship between China and the United States. He is hopeful about "passing the torch" to the younger generation.

Joseph McNeely, a student from Muscatine who traveled to China thanks to the exchange program, expressed his gratitude to Berrone: "Thank you for continuing the friendship between you and President Xi and for helping this trip come to light."

McNeely made some Chinese friends from Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School during the trip. As a symbol of friendship, they planted a tree in Hebei.

This year, during Spring Festival, Berrone hosted Chinese students from Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School in Iowa. The students were on vacation, touring the United States and making new friends in Muscatine.