On May 16, 2024, the Chinese Embassy in the United States held the “My China Album: Sharing Our Stories about China” event. Ambassador Xie Feng attended the event and delivered remarks.

Ambassador Xie said that the future of this relationship depends on the youth. When our younger generations get along well, there will be a brighter future for China-U.S. relations. Last November, President Xi Jinping announced that China is ready to invite 50,000 young Americans to China on exchange and study programs in the next five years. We have set up a YES program — the Young Envoys Scholarship to this end. Over the recent months, kids from Cascade Elementary School in Utah visited China. Children from Muscatine High School, Lincoln High School and Steilacoom High School also went. So did students from Columbia University, the University of Virginia and Stanford University. They climbed the Great Wall, learned how to make a Chinese knot, fell in love with hotpot, and became friends with Chinese peers. For many of them, this could be the start of a lifelong friendship.

Ambassador Xie noted that it has warmed our hearts that many old friends have pitched in to lay the foundation of friendship between the youths. For instance, the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation has launched the “Flying Tigers Friendship Schools and Youth Leadership Programs”. Ms. Lande personally facilitated the trip by the Muscatine High School delegation to China. We sincerely hope that more young people will be part of the efforts, and become the new-generation ambassadors of goodwill between our two countries.