The launch of the "My China Album" event serves to amplify the crucial role that people-to-people exchanges have been playing in enhancing China-US relations, said Qu Yingpu, publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily.

Over the past five years, China Daily has been a partner of "My China Album", focusing on stories of China-US friendship, of endearment and goodwill, and reciprocal kindness between the two peoples, Qu said in a video speech. 

For example, the 2019 edition focused on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, and in the following year, it featured the Chinese and American peoples helping each other combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, the "album" captured the beauty of sports featuring the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and the 50th anniversary of giant pandas in America became the most popular theme in 2022.

"We believe stories of this kind are monumental and worthy of being recorded and retold," said Qu.

"The more we have explored the domain of China-US people-to-people exchanges, the more deeply we feel obligated and duty bound as China's national English-language news media. We are more committed now," he said.

Steve Blake, chief representative for environmental group WildAid China, said the "China Album" project offers a "really great" opportunity for people like him to tell a story about China.

"There's so much you hear in the news about challenges between the US and China, but there's millions of people just like me that have a personal story to tell, that our lives have been changed by our experience, whether we're Chinese people in America or Americans like myself in China," he said.

Blake said he had a lot of fond memories of China that he likes to share.

"So I'm really happy to be here today to be a part of something that connects our two countries more," he said.

The fifth edition of "My China Album" was jointly produced by the Chinese embassy in the US, the Chinese consulates general in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago, and China Daily.