US youths called on to advance ties

President Xi Jinping has replied to a letter from a US youth education exchange delegation that visited China, expressing the hope that more young people from the United States will join the cause of China-US friendship, and make greater contributions to enhancing people-to-people exchanges and promoting the development of bilateral relations.

The delegation was made up of teachers and students from the Diamond Minds Transformational Leadership Academy in Miami, Florida, the University of Florida and Miami-Dade College.

In their letter, the teachers and students reviewed their visit to China in October and expressed their gratitude for the "50,000 in Five Years" initiative proposed by Xi, which they said has provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen mutual understanding among young people of the two countries.

In his reply on Wednesday, Xi said he was delighted to learn that the delegation had enjoyed a pleasant and rewarding journey to China, and that he felt their strong interest and sincere feelings for Chinese culture.

In November 2023, while attending a welcoming dinner in San Francisco hosted by friendship organizations in the United States, Xi announced that China was ready to invite 50,000 young people from the US for exchange and study programs over the next five years, in a bid to expand people-to-people ties, particularly among the younger generation.

Xi emphasized in his letter that the hope of China-US relations lies in the people, and its future rests with youths. Since its launch, more than 40,000 young people from the US have actively participated in the initiative, which has opened a window for them to experience the real China and build a bridge to carry forward the friendship between the two peoples, he noted.

Xi added that this fully demonstrates that fostering friendly exchanges and cooperation is the shared aspiration of the people of both nations. He voiced the expectation that more US youth would serve as a new generation of envoys of friendship between the two countries.

Over the past two years since the launch of the initiative, Xi has repeatedly reached out to US youths with messages of encouragement and invitations to visit China. A growing number of young people from the US have taken part in exchange programs and cultural activities, including innovation contests, academic dialogues, choral weeks, music festivals and friendship sports matches.

In July 2025, Xi replied to teachers and students from a Maryland pickleball cultural exchange delegation, saying he was pleased to see pickleball become a new bond for youth exchanges between China and the US, and encouraged them to further contribute to enhancing the friendship between the two peoples.

Xi in June 2024 replied to a letter from Lamont Repollet, president of Kean University in the US, encouraging Chinese and US universities to strengthen exchanges and cooperation.

In February 2024, during the Lantern Festival marking the Year of the Dragon, Xi replied to a letter from students of Muscatine High School in Iowa who had visited China — among the first US middle school students to participate in the "50,000 in Five Years" initiative — and sent them a New Year greeting card in return.

Public opinion surveys conducted by organizations including the Pew Research Center and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs indicate that despite setbacks in China-US relations, public attitude in the US toward China is becoming more and more positive, with the younger generation holding more favorable views.

Jennifer Fridley, principal of Susan Clark Junior High in the Muscatine Community School District, said earlier that through the visit, the young people in the US gained a firsthand and deeper understanding of China and its people.

She said the hospitality of Chinese people, the vitality of Chinese youths and the profound richness of Chinese culture made the visiting delegation recognize how much young people in China and the US share in common.

Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng said in a speech in November that the enthusiastic participation of US youths highlights the initiative's broad appeal and strong resonance, demonstrating that the US public is eager to learn more about China.

China has also introduced a series of measures to facilitate travel, including a 240-hour visa-free transit policy, online visa applications, digital entry forms and expanded mobile payment options. Xie welcomed more people from the US to experience a real, multidimensional and comprehensive China.

zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn