Professor Graham Allison (second from right), a renowned American scholar and founding dean of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, visits the special exhibition "Tales of People-to-People Bonds Between China and the United States" in Beijing, on June 27, 2026. [Photo by Zhang Wei/chinadaily.com.cn]

Graham Allison, a renowned American political scholar and founding dean of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, called for sustained efforts to stabilize and enhance China-US relations, stressing that a stable and improving China-US relationship is "good news for all of us".

Accompanied by Wang Linggui, chairman of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, Allison toured the special exhibition "Tales of People-to-People Bonds Between China and the United States" at the Overseas Chinese History Museum of China in Beijing on Saturday.

Allison, known for coining the concept of the "Thucydides Trap", said that the entire bilateral agenda, from the top leadership down to grassroots exchanges, would benefit from more direct interaction.

Professor Graham Allison, a renowned American scholar and founding dean of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, visits the special exhibition "Tales of People-to-People Bonds Between China and the United States" in Beijing, on June 27, 2026. [Photo by Zhang Wei/chinadaily.com.cn]

During his visit to the exhibition, Allison carefully examined historical photographs, documents, and artifacts, tracing the centuries-old interactions between Chinese and Americans.

He said the collection offers a crucial reminder that the two peoples have long engaged each other in constructive ways. "As the museum suggests, we are people-to-people — American and Chinese have engaged each other; there's a long history of successful contributions to a better world," he said.

However, Allison expressed concern about the recent decline in people-to-people exchanges, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. "I think that's bad, and I think that the aspiration to get back to where we were before and even more is a good lesson for all of us," he said.

He stressed that direct engagement — whether among students, academics, business people, or ordinary visitors — is far more effective than speculation.

"Almost all those disagreements are better handled by people talking to each other and understanding each other, rather than imagining what the other might be doing, or might be thinking, or might be saying," he added.

Professor Graham Allison, a renowned American scholar and founding dean of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, speaks during an interview after visiting the "Tales of People-to-People Bonds Between China and the United States" exhibition in Beijing, on June 27, 2026. [Photo by Zhang Wei/chinadaily.com.cn]

When asked about the historical memory of China and the US fighting side by side during World War II, Allison pointed to the shared sacrifice against fascism.

"Remember the Flying Tigers," he said. "Remember how much of the burden of the war China actually bore before the Americans entered the war." He reflected that neither country might have defeated the Japanese invasion alone and called that history a "good reminder" of the value of cooperation.

Before leaving the museum, Allison wrote in the guestbook: "An amazing and inspiring collection that reminds us of the many ways Chinese and Americans working together can make both nations greater and contribute to a more peaceful and prosperous world."

The exhibition systematically traces the history of friendly exchanges between the peoples of China and the US since America's founding. The 100 museum artifacts on display include gold-mining tools, railroad spikes, agricultural relics, documents and newspapers, dining utensils, anti-Japanese invasion war medals, and personal belongings of notable figures, offering a window into the centuries-old bonds between the two nations.