China-U.S. youth connect on campus, building an ever-stronger bridge of friendship

"The story of China-U.S. friendship is written by the people, and the future of China-U.S. relations is shaped by the youth."

On May 23, 2026, President Xi Jinping replied to a letter from Chinese and U.S. students participating in "A Shared Voyage: China-U.S. Youth Friendship Program." Since its launch in November 2023, the initiative — which aimed to bring 50,000 young Americans to China over five years — has already met its target, two and a half years ahead of schedule, Xi said in the letter.

An increasing number of young Americans are stepping into Chinese campuses. Through ongoing meetings, exchanges and conversations with their Chinese peers, they are reducing misunderstandings and deepening mutual understanding.

In May, a student delegation from Southern Utah University visited China for an exchange program. Cedar City, where the university is located, is also the hometown of journalist Helen Foster Snow, an author and activist who built a bridge of friendship between the US and China, starting in the 1930s. Through in-class studies and various cultural field trips, the American students experienced firsthand the profound heritage of Chinese civilization and the openness and vitality of contemporary China.

In June, teachers and teenage students from Western Michigan University's Chinese Language and Culture Program, participating in the 2026 "Chinese Bridge" Summer Camp for International Secondary School Students, visited Luhe High School in Beijing's Tongzhou District. They engaged in exchanges with Chinese students, attended classes together, and participated in a variety of sports including table tennis, badminton and basketball. They also tried their hand at traditional Chinese painting and folk musical instruments.

These stories of exchange reflect the shared aspiration of the Chinese and American peoples to understand and bond with each other. Young people are becoming a vital force in the cause of China-U.S. friendship, laying a solid people-to-people foundation and injecting youthful energy into the long-term development of bilateral relations.