Flying Tigers legacy honoured in California

Descendants of Flying Tigers veterans, community leaders and officials gathered at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum on Tuesday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and celebrate key milestones in China-US relations, recalling the shared wartime history that continues to inspire people-to-people exchanges today.

Nell Chennault Calloway, granddaughter of General Claire Lee Chennault, the legendary commander of the Flying Tigers, said history remains the most reliable guide for strengthening future ties.

"History is our best guide. It records our past and offers inspiration for the future," she told the gathering.

Calloway noted that President Richard Nixon's groundbreaking visit to China in 1972 marked a turning point after decades of estrangement, opening dialogue that had been absent since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. The visit culminated in the Shanghai Communique, which laid the foundation for the normalization of relations.

She also credited former US president Jimmy Carter for completing the process when Washington and Beijing formally established diplomatic ties in 1979.

"When President Nixon opened the door, President Carter walked through it and built the formal structure of the relationship," she said. "We would not be here today if it were not for this 'foot-in-the-door' policy established by President Nixon and continued by President Carter — and we also would not be here today without the victory over Japan fought for so greatly 80 years earlier."

Calloway recalled Nixon's words spoken during a 1972 toast to then-Chinese premier Zhou Enlai: "We have great differences today. What brings us together is that we have common interests which transcend those differences." She told the audience that the statement remains relevant.

"We must recognize that China and the US have differences, but what brings us together is the common interest that transcends those differences," she said, adding that the relationship between the two countries remains "the most important bilateral relationship in our world today".

She urged that the sacrifices made by soldiers, civilians and diplomats from both nations during WWII should never be forgotten. "We must make sure that the efforts of millions are remembered and learned from," she added.

Jeffrey Greene, chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, emphasized the historical significance of the Flying Tigers' role in China.

"What happened in China 80 years ago, for the Chinese people and the American pilots of the Flying Tigers, is probably the most important thing that will ever happen between our two countries, because it brought the two nations close together in a way that no other event could," Greene told China Daily.

He recounted how American volunteer pilots fought alongside Chinese forces to resist Japanese bombing campaigns, and highlighted the courage of Chinese civilians who rescued downed American pilots despite facing deadly retaliation.

"That's a remarkable story between two countries," Greene said. "Sadly, most young Americans don't get to learn about China or the role China played in the war."

Greene added that the foundation's mission is to ensure younger generations remember the shared legacy of cooperation.

"We remind young people that when our two nations cooperate, they can achieve extraordinary things. That history proves there's no reason we can't work together again," he said.

The importance of remembering the wartime alliance has also been echoed at the highest level of state relations. During a recent telephone conversation between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, Xi noted that China and the US once fought side by side against fascism and militarism and should jointly safeguard the outcomes of World War II. Trump acknowledged that China was a big part of the victory of World War II. 

California State Senator Bob Archuleta said the story of the Flying Tigers remains a living lesson for today's global challenges.

"History proves that we can accomplish more through cooperation than conflict, and through mutual respect rather than division," he said. "It's a global challenge that requires the same spirit the Flying Tigers showed us to build bridges, not barriers, and to seek understanding, not suspicion."

Archuleta emphasized the importance of strengthening bilateral friendship through people-to-people diplomacy.

"Eighty years later, they remain a symbol of the best in all of us — Chinese and Americans together — of courage, sacrifice, and a commitment to peace and freedom," he said, adding that future generations should learn from their example and continue advancing global cooperation.

Janice Lim, mayor of Yorba Linda, Nixon's hometown, reflected on her family's experiences in southern China, where her father's hometown was invaded by the Japanese army during World War II.

"This commemoration is a meaningful moment for me to say thank you to all those who saved my father's land and helped save him as well," Lim said. "For those who made sacrifices so that I, as an Asian American, can stand here today as mayor — protecting and building relationships across the sea."

Jane Zhang, director of tourism, culture and education at the Nixon Library, said the wartime friendship symbolized by the Flying Tigers helped lay the groundwork for later diplomatic breakthroughs.

"It was on the basis of historical ties such as the Flying Tigers that President Nixon embarked on his 'icebreaking' journey and opened a new chapter in China-US relations," Zhang said.

Quoting Nixon, she added: "The greatest title history can bestow upon humankind is 'peacemaker.'"

"Today, conflicts, misunderstandings and differences exist around the world," Zhang said. "Yet standing here at the Nixon Library — an enduring symbol of dialogue — we are reminded that peace is not the effort of one person or one nation, but the collective choice of humanity. When two great peoples choose cooperation, the world becomes a safer place."

Liu Yawei, senior advisor on China at the Carter Center, said that as the world's two major powers, China and the US should work to narrow ideological divides.

"The goal is to seek a global community of shared values for all mankind," he said.

The event, co-hosted by the American Flying Tigers Communication Association, the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, and the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum, also honored 100-year-old Flying Tigers veteran Mel McMullen and Zhang Sujiu, daughter of General Zhang Zhizhong, known in China as the "Peace General", recognizing them as living links between history and the present.

renali@chinadailyusa.com