Xi's visit to chart course for bilateral relations

People-to-people exchanges

Xi has consistently emphasized that the foundation and future of China-US relations ultimately lie in the connections between the two peoples.

"Though geographically far apart, our peoples boast a long history of friendly exchanges," Xi said in a speech at a welcoming dinner hosted by local governments and friendly organizations in Seattle in 2015.

Over the years, Xi has maintained close personal ties with people from all walks of life in the US. In 2015, Xi visited Lincoln High School in the US port city of Tacoma. Without a tie, he presented gifts to the students, including books on China, a ping-pong table, and his personal invitation for the students to visit China.

In 2023, before the Welcome Dinner by Friendly Organizations in San Francisco, Xi met with veterans of the Flying Tigers and descendants of late General Joseph Stilwell, whose stories have become an important part of the history of China-US friendship.

In 2024, in his reply to a letter from Lamont Repollet, president of Kean University in the US state of New Jersey, Xi encouraged universities in China and the US to strengthen exchanges and cooperation and contribute to China-US friendship.

During Spring Festival this year, Xi replied to friends in the US state of Iowa and sent them a Chinese New Year card with festive greetings, continuing their warm exchange of New Year wishes for the third consecutive year.

In 2023, during his visit to San Francisco, Xi announced that China was ready to invite 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programs over the next five years. "We hope that our two peoples will make more visits, contacts and exchanges and write new stories of friendship in the new era," he said.

The invitation was warmly received by young people in the US. In just over two-and-a-half years, more than 50,000 young people from all 50 US states have traveled to China.

Their trips have taken them to different parts of the country. They have toured smart factories, visited rural communities and experienced everyday life in places far from home. For many, their travels have also led to new friendships with Chinese peers.

"I am particularly grateful to President Xi for his initiative of'50,000 in five years'. I think that is possibly one of the most consequential initiatives in the last 20 years," said Luca Berrone, from Iowa, who has been friends with Xi for four decades.

"I believe that people-to-people exchanges, particularly between China and the US, are fundamental in continuing to strengthen the relationship, to improve understanding and acceptance," Berrone added.

XINHUA