On September 28, 2024, the China Media Group hosted the “Written in the Sky: My China Story” U.S. special event celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in New York. Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng delivered remarks, encouraging the younger generation from both China and the United States to carry on friendship and jointly promote people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between the two countries. President of Kean University Lamont Repollet, President of the Alliance of Global Talent Organizations Denis Simon, President and CEO of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations David Firestein and other guests shared their China stories, and emphasized the importance of educational cooperation for promoting China-U.S. relations. 

President Repollet said that international education is life-changing. U.S.-China youth exchanges can give our future leaders a global perspective and help our two countries expand common ground and pursue mutual benefit. Dr. Simon voiced his opposition to attempts to dismantle bridges and push for decoupling between the United States and China, stressing that no global challenges can be resolved without U.S.-China cooperation. Mr. Firestein said that the United States and China are indispensable partners to each other. They cannot be what they wish to be without one another. Healthy competition makes both countries stronger. Getting the relationship wrong would be unpleasant for both sides. He encouraged active participation in President Xi Jinping’s initiative to invite 50,000 American youth on exchange and study programs in five years, and called for leaving a functional, constructive, results-oriented, mutually beneficial and sustainable bilateral relationship to future generations.

High school students from the Washington State who had just returned from China shared their experiences of attending an event where President Xi Jinping’s wife Peng Liyuan met with the U.S. teenager delegation in Beijing, and of joining the VBA tournament in Guizhou. They presented a signed basketball to Ambassador Xie Feng as a gift. In reply, Ambassador Xie said that table tennis used to play a unique role in bringing our two countries together. Now basketball is becoming a new bridge of friendship.