Politburo member Yuan Jiajun appears at commemorations in Chongqing with general’s descendants.
China has rolled out the red carpet for the descendants of a second world war American general , commemorating the late officer as Beijing turns to informal personal contacts to improve ties between the two countries.
Yuan Jiajun, the Communist Party chief of Chongqing, met members of the family of Joseph Stilwell in the southwestern city on Wednesday.
The group included Susan Cole and Nancy Millward, the great-granddaughters of the general who was based in the city during the war and worked closely with Chinese leaders against Japanese forces.
“[We] hope to take this visit as an opportunity … to better promote people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States and contribute to the development of China-US relations,” Chongqing Daily quoted Yuan as saying.
Members of the family have visited China before but previous commemorations have not attracted such attention.
Yuan is one of the 24 members of the Politburo, the party’s inner circle, and his presence this time for the 140th anniversary of Stilwell’s birth highlights Beijing’s focus on informal contact with the United States.
