UNITED NATIONS - "If you can speak Chinese and can write Chinese characters, you can get to know China better," Stephen A. Orlins, an expert on US-China relations, said on Thursday.

Joining UN staff members celebrating the Chinese Language Day, Orlins, who is president of the National Committee on US-China Relations, made the remarks in Chinese at the UN headquarters in New York.

The UN Chinese Language Day has been observed annually on April 20 since 2010 to celebrate the language's overall contribution to the world and to encourage more people to take it up.