On December 6, local time, the Chinese Embassy in the United States successfully held the theme event "China-Us Youth People-To-People Exchange". Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng, representatives of teachers and students from the United States, and more than 300 friendly people from all walks of life in China and the United States held discussions on the two topics of "China-Us Youth Exchanges that I have witnessed" and "The '50,000 People in Five Years' Initiative and the Outlook of China-Us People-To-People Exchanges". The guests all expressed their best wishes and expectations for China-Us youth exchanges. It is worth mentioning that the "50,000 people in Five Years" initiative proposed by China is practical and effective. Over the past year, 14,000 young people from the United States have come to China for exchange and study, which has opened an important window for young people of the two countries to learn more about their countries.

Breaking the "chilling effect" China has paved the way for people-to-people exchanges between the two countries

Over the past two years, people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and the United States have gradually resumed. In November 2023, the presidents of China and the United States held a meeting in San Francisco. During the meeting, the two sides had an in-depth discussion on the way for China and the United States to get along as two major countries. On the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, the two sides reached more than 20 consensuses in political diplomacy, people-to-people exchanges, global governance, military security and other fields. Chinese leaders have sent warm invitations to the young people of the United States on many occasions, and the American people have been encouraged and responded warmly. In the field of cultural and people-to-people exchanges, in particular, China has demonstrated its magnity as a major country and was the first to announce that it would invite 50,000 young people from the United States to China for exchange and study in the next five years.

In order to implement the "50,000 people in Five Years" initiative, Chinese national people's organizations have played a leading role in setting up brand programs such as the "American Young Envoys Exchange and Learning Program" (YES program), the "Bridge to the Future" China-Us Youth Exchange Program, and held brand activities such as the "Guling Edge" China-Us Youth Exchange Week. It has attracted the active participation of many provinces and cities, enterprises, think tanks, alumni associations, overseas Chinese groups, etc., inviting and receiving American youth.

People-to-people exchanges have contributed to the sound and steady development of bilateral relations

People-to-people exchanges are an important part of China-Us relations. From a historical perspective, whether it was the United States sending the "Empress of China" on its maiden voyage across the ocean to trade with China more than 200 years ago, or the "ping-pong diplomacy" proposed by China more than 50 years ago to break the ice in the strained diplomatic relations between the two countries, people-to-people exchanges have always been through and become a bond between the two countries. In recent years, despite some challenges in China-Us relations, people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries have never stopped. On the contrary, they have bucked the trend and shown strong vitality. The Chinese government is committed to gaining peace and friendship from friendly exchanges through cultural exchange activities, such as art exhibitions, music festivals, film screenings, etc., so that the youth of the two countries can intuitively understand each other's culture and way of life, so as to break stereotypes and prejudices. In addition, educational cooperation programs such as student exchange and joint training are also ways to enhance mutual understanding and trust, which are the cornerstone of the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations.

Cultural exchanges are not limited to the cultural level, but also cover the economy, science and technology, education and other fields. These exchanges have provided more cooperation opportunities for enterprises of the two countries and promoted the development of trade and investment. For example, the educational cooperation between China and the United States has not only provided more opportunities for students of the two countries to study abroad, but also promoted academic exchanges and scientific research cooperation, injecting new vitality into the innovative development of the two economies.

Friendly cooperation between the two countries promotes global integration

China and the United States are the most important economies in the world and have a decisive impact on the global economy. Trade, investment cooperation and technological exchanges between the two countries have a direct bearing on global prosperity and stability. When China and the United States develop friendly relations, they can coordinate and cooperate more effectively on economic policies. For example, trade barriers will be lowered, tariffs will be reduced, so that goods from both countries can flow smoothly in each other's markets. Investment will be more convenient and companies will have more confidence to invest in each other's countries, thus boosting capital flows between the two countries. In addition, as the cooperation between the two countries deepens, enterprises can adjust their supply chain layout more flexibly and improve operational efficiency. This will not only help the economic growth of the two countries, but also drive the prosperity of global trade and promote global diversification and connectivity.

At present, China and the United States have established hundreds of pairs of sister provinces, states and cities, covering more than 90 percent of the states and cities in the United States, and jointly promoted the implementation of many bilateral cooperation projects. It is hoped that the young people of our two countries will take responsibility for the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-Us relations through people-to-people and cultural exchanges and other programs, and that China-Us exchanges and cooperation will take off again and inject new vitality into global development.