Envoy calls on US to encourage more youth exchanges

China's top envoy in Washington urged the United States to "earnestly" follow through on the top leaders' consensus by building bridges, not erecting barriers, to youth exchanges — interactions that he said are vital for strengthening bilateral ties.

In his remarks at the 2026 China-US Youth Spring Festival Gala at the Chinese embassy on Saturday, Ambassador Xie Feng reflected on a year of successful intercultural collaboration, noting how thousands of students have crossed borders to engage in scientific innovation, athletic competition and educational partnerships.

Many participants have called their visits "life-changing", saying that time spent on Chinese campuses, in local communities and at companies helped them break out of an information cocoon and dispel long-held misunderstandings, Xie said in remarks titled "Charge ahead with youthful vigor and embark on a new journey hand in hand".

"As the most important bilateral relationship in the world, the China-US relationship requires careful nurturing by both our peoples. Youth exchanges, like spring plowing, instill the greatest vitality into the process," he said.

The current momentum is anchored in the consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump during their meeting in Busan, South Korea, in October, at which they agreed to promote people-to-people exchanges.

Xie recalled that Xi pointed out that fostering friendly exchanges and cooperation is the shared aspiration of the people of China and the US, and the envoy also noted that Trump said on multiple occasions that the US welcomes Chinese students.

"We call on the US side to earnestly implement our presidents' consensus, view and handle China-US relations with a long-term perspective, build bridges instead of barriers and encourage, rather than hinder, our youths' interactions, learning and research," Xie said.

Recognizing the strengths of both countries' education systems, the ambassador called for a collaborative environment in which both sides can draw on and complement each other.

"We firmly support people with vision from the US education community and other sectors in speaking up and acting with a sense of responsibility for the future, overcoming the 'chilling effect' and disruptions, and vigorously advocating and participating in China-US educational exchanges, so as to infuse more hope and vitality into bilateral relations," he said.

The ambassador said he looked forward to the next generation taking a leading role in tackling frontier challenges through practical, future-oriented cooperation in cutting-edge sectors such as the digital economy, artificial intelligence, and green and low-carbon development.

Xie again extended a warm welcome to young people in the US to participate in the "50,000 in Five Years" initiative, inviting them to visit China for exchanges, tours and further studies to personally experience the country and make every moment of their youth count.

The "50,000 in Five Years" initiative was proposed by Xi in November 2023, aiming to bring 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programs over a five-year period.

In a reply letter to a US youth education exchange delegation from Florida on Jan 7, President Xi said that since the launch of the initiative, more than 40,000 young people from the US have participated, opening a window for them to understand the real China and building a bridge to carry forward the friendship between the two peoples.

Also speaking at the gala, Sean Stein, president of the US-China Business Council, said the initiative "stands out" in the minds of most people, partly because the message was so clear that the world's two largest and most dynamic economies are going to work together.

"We need to understand each other better, and the best way to do that is by investing in the next generation to ensure that mutual understanding starts with the youth and then can grow," Stein said.

He added that the business community understands how important it is that students from the US and China engage with and travel in both countries.

"People-to-people exchange is not a side project of the US-China relationship; it is a cornerstone. It is one of the most important things the two countries can do together," Stein said.

The gala was attended by representatives of Chinese and US students, including those from more than 20 US states and the District of Columbia.

During the YES! China Talk session, participants of the Young Envoys Scholarship (YES) program shared their experiences in China.

"We build friendships one relationship, one rally at a time," said Jeffrey Sullivan, director of systemwide athletics at Montgomery County Public Schools in the US state of Maryland, describing student exchanges that mix cultural visits with pickleball matches.

Sullivan, who leads the "pickleball diplomacy" initiative in the Montgomery County public school system, said his students traveled to Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing and returned with what he called a new family-like cohesion.