BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Monday described the story of U.S. teacher Ronald Sakolsky and Chinese anti-desertification campaigner Yin Yuzhen as “a vivid epitome of China-U.S. grassroots goodwill.”
The story recently gained widespread attention after Yin, a national model worker dedicated to combating desertification in the Maowusu, China’s fourth-largest sandy region, used social media to search for an American benefactor who had helped her more than two decades ago. The video quickly attracted public interest online.
Speaking at a regular press briefing, Mao said Sakolsky, who was teaching in China at the time, raised 5,000 U.S. dollars to support Yin and her husband in their efforts to plant trees and curb desertification.
According to Mao, that contribution eventually helped grow a forest of more than 50,000 trees, making the story a powerful symbol of friendship between the Chinese and American people.
Mao added that the history of China-U.S. relations is shaped by ordinary people and voiced hope that both nations would continue writing “new chapters of goodwill” and inject fresh momentum into bilateral ties.
