"There was genuine happiness, so you could see the smile on his face. He was really enjoying it," Gary said of the reunion.

Gary first met Xi in person in 2015 when the Chinese president hosted the Dvorchak family for a private dinner in Beijing. During the gathering, Gary's parents presented Xi with a photo album titled "Commemorating 30 Years of Friendship," featuring photos from 1985 and 2012.

When Gary's father, Thomas Dvorchak, passed away in 2024, Xi conveyed his condolences, expressing that he had always valued the genuine friendship.

The Dvorchaks' Iowa home, where Xi once stayed, has been turned into a museum and renamed the Sino-US Friendship House. Gary noted that visitors can appreciate how much the friendship has grown over the years.