On January 31, 2026, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng attended the 2026 China-U.S. Youth Spring Festival Gala, joining over 500 young Americans from more than 20 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, along with Chinese students, in celebrating the upcoming Chinese New Year.

Ambassador Xie said in his remarks that, young people are the most dynamic force in people-to-people exchanges. What is sown in youth will surely bear fruit in the future. It is our hope that our youths will engage more often with each other, deepen friendship, and carry forward, champion and cultivate goodwill between our two countries. We also hope our youths will actively carry out dialogue and cooperation in areas such as digital economy, green and low-carbon development and artificial intelligence, and jointly tackle frontier challenges. China is committed to high-standard opening-up. We warmly welcome more young Americans to take part in the “50,000 in five years” initiative, visit China for exchanges, tours and further studies, see China for themselves, and make every moment of their youth count.

Ambassador Xie said that very soon we will ring in the Year of the Horse. In Chinese culture, the horse symbolizes vigor, aspiration and bold resolve. He expressed his hope that all the young friends will charge ahead with the vitality of the horse, embark on a new journey hand in hand, and write a fresh chapter in China-U.S. relations.