My diplomatic career has given me many opportunities to meet people from other countries. It is easy to get acquainted with someone, not easy to really know each other and treat each other with respect. It takes years of mutual trust, sincerity and dedicated nurturing to develop genuine friendship.

I intended to write an article about my American friend, Daniel Inouye — but before I finished it, the news came that he had passed away. We were saddened by the loss of another old and good American friend.

Daniel, a hero who lost his right arm in the European battlefield during World War II, was as courageous and tenacious in peaceful times as he was in the battlefield. After the war, he was determined to become a successful lawyer, then became Hawaii’s first full member of the U.S. House of Representatives after Hawaii achieved statehood, the first Japanese-American to serve in the U.S. House and later in the U.S. Senate. He was also the first Asian-American to serve as the president pro tempore of the Senate.

Daniel is an old friend of the Chinese people. We have respected and admired him for his consistent friendship and understanding, for his sensible and rational approach to China-U.S. relations, for his understanding of and respect for the distinctive system and development path that China had chosen, and for his sincere wishes for social progress and improved livelihood in China.

Among the 100 senators and 435 congressmen, not many can rationally and objectively assess China-U.S. relations. So it is all the more commendable that Daniel, a towering Democrat, approached China-related issues in a pragmatic and balanced way. He once said, "It is without doubt that in the 21st century, U.S.-China relations will be the most important bilateral relationship in the world, not one of the most important. The two countries should become friends, not enemies; and should enhance cooperation and avoid confrontation."

Years ago, with the start of bilateral relations and expanded cooperation between China and the United States, there was a growing call for more exchanges with China. Daniel Inouye actively supported and coordinated with Sen. Ted Stevens, and with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, proposed an amendment to set up a regular meeting mechanism between the Senate and the Chinese National People’s Congress (NPC), which passed the Senate in July 2003.

After the mechanism was put in place, the two sides had several meetings in Beijing, Washington, D.C. and Hawaii, with Daniel using his influence to maintain the continuity and stability of this mechanism. He and Stevens worked tirelessly to encourage the U.S. president, vice president and relevant government departments to meet Chinese NPC delegations and ensure substantive results from their visits.

Daniel had a profound understanding of the importance and complexity of China-U.S. relations, and he also knew very well the differences among members of Congress on issues related to China. Therefore, whenever there was a meeting, he would invite members of Congress with different political opinions and from different regions so that they could ponder these issues through personal participation in discussions. He would also invite selected young members of Congress or encourage them to visit China so that the younger generation would have a better understanding of China.

Daniel was not a man for lengthy speeches, banal remarks or empty words. He was always succinct and to the point.

Sad memories will forever be with us. The modest man whom we know dearly and respect profoundly has left us. We will cherish his memory because of the powerful moral strength demonstrated in his friendship with the Chinese people over the years. He was loyal to his motherland and also loved China, of which he had a good knowledge.