Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

　　How can a cup of bubble tea or a piece of fried chicken touch people-to-people ties between China and the US? Perhaps the answer lies in those waiting in line. Amid twists and turns, people-to-people connectivity remains a profound force behind relations between the two major countries. We look forward to more "everyday diplomats" emerging between the two countries.

　　An article by the Associated Press recently reported that Chinese customers lined up in the rain when US fast-food chain Church"s Texas Chicken opened its first Shanghai store in August, while American customers waited in the cold to sample soft-serve ice cream when Chinese bubble tea chain Mixue opened in New York last year. The article argued that burgers, fried chicken and bubble tea are becoming two-way cultural bridges between China and the US. As Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to pay a state visit to the US at the invitation of US President Donald Trump, the article is particularly telling.