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9/11 Exhibition Opens in Beijing

The American Ambassador to China, Clark T. Randt, opened an exhibition of September 11 photos at China's National Library in Beijing, saying that China's sympathy and help in the war on terror have brought the two countries closer together. September 11 "demonstrated to Americans that we have real enemies, and China is not among them," Randt told an audience of diplomats and Chinese officials.

The exhibition includes a video display showing rescue efforts and a speech by then-New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, although there was no Chinese translation available. After the exhibit opened to the public, several hundred people passed through in the first hour. "It was such a massive event, it really caused everyone so much heartache, not just Americans but the whole world," said a retired high school teacher in the city. Gao Jian, a former reporter in New York for Xinhua News Agency, who is now a researcher at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said the attacks elicited sympathy entirely removed from "political contradictions between the two countries". "The Chinese people, the American people, and all the people of the world again express condolences to the victims and their families, and vigorously condemn all terrorist activities against civilized society," said the People's Daily.