China, US youth call for stronger bilateral ties at Peking University forum

Young delegates from China and the United States called for building sincere friendships and deepening mutual learning among civilizations as a foundation for stronger bilateral ties at a youth forum held at Peking University on Wednesday.

The "Zhi-Xing China: US-China Youth Dialogue" brought together more than 100 students from institutions including Columbia University, Brown University, Peking University and Beijing Normal University.

Centered on mutual learning among civilizations, science and technology cooperation and sustainable development, the forum aimed to foster greater understanding and collaboration between young people from the two countries.

Zhao Huchen, a Chinese student at Peking University, said: "We understand clearly that the hope of US-China relations lies in the people, and its future rests with the youth.

"In the face of a rapidly evolving transformation unseen in a century and an era where the destinies of humanity are deeply intertwined, we engaged in candid dialogue and met each other halfway. In the name of youth, we call upon the young people of both countries to bravely shoulder the historical mission and join hands to create a better future," he said.

Livia Maria Ilasz, a US student from the University of Rochester, said: "We advocate respect for the diversity of global civilizations and the building of shared values while seeking consensus and preserving differences. We urge deeper people-to-people exchanges between young Chinese and Americans, enabling youth from both sides to understand each other through dialogue and to eliminate prejudice through interaction."

Cian Hanrahan, a US student studying at Peking University, said: "Today, we have been reminded that mutual understanding is not a distant ideal. It happens in the conversations we share with friends from different backgrounds and the words we learn in another language, and in the traditions we take the time to understand. It happens when we recognize that beneath our differences, we all long for the same thing — connection, belonging and a better future."

Yu Yang, deputy secretary-general of the China Education Association for International Exchange, told the forum that over the past two years, more than 32,000 young Americans have visited China under the Young Envoys Scholarship program, which is mainly coordinated by the association.

Their visits have taken them to nearly 200 Chinese cities and involved more than 1,000 Chinese schools and institutions.

"In the current international situation, deepening youth exchanges and mutual understanding between China and the US is of great significance," Yu said.

The program has become a significant driving force in the early implementation of the country's "50,000 in Five Years" initiative, proposed in 2023 to bring 50,000 US students to China for study and exchange, he added.

Fang Fang, vice-president of Peking University, described youth exchanges as "the most dynamic and promising component of US-China relations."

"Peking University will continue to build bridges, provide academic and resource support, and help young people from both countries become inheritors of US-China friendship, pioneers of practical cooperation, and participants in global governance," he said.