BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday replied to a letter from John Easterbrook, grandson of former U.S. General Joseph Stilwell.

In his reply, Xi thanked Easterbrook for the letter sharing the story about the friendly exchanges between General Stilwell and several generations of the Stilwell family and China.

Xi said that from the Stilwell family, he felt the goodwill of the American people towards the Chinese people, adding that General Stilwell was an old friend of the Chinese people, who gave active support to China's cause of liberation and progress and made positive contributions to the friendship between the two peoples, which the Chinese people will never forget.

Not long ago, Xi mentioned, a series of commemorative events were organized in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality to mark the 140th birth anniversary of General Stilwell, during which Easterbrook delivered a video message, while his daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren attended the events in person.

He is glad to see that General Stilwell's dedication to friendship between China and the United States has been passed down to the fifth generation of his family, Xi noted.

Looking back, Xi stressed, China and the United States fought side by side against Japanese fascists and for world peace; looking into the future, the two countries have every reason to help each other achieve success and common prosperity.

The foundation of China-U.S. relations lies in the people and the source of strength lies in the friendship between their peoples, he added.

The two peoples should strengthen exchanges, enhance understanding and expand cooperation to continuously inject new impetus into the development of bilateral relations, Xi said, expressing his hope and belief that Easterbrook and other members of the Stilwell family would continue to contribute to the development of friendship between the two peoples. Xi also invited the Stilwell family to often visit China in the future.

Recently, Easterbrook wrote a letter to Xi, recalling Stilwell's exchanges with China and the Chinese people, introducing the efforts by the Stilwell family and his descendants to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the United States and China, paying tribute to Xi's long-term support in this regard, extending gratitude to the Chinese government and people for not forgetting old friends, and expressing the Stilwell family's wish and determination to promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.