Visiting U.S. students forge lasting friendships through cultural exchange in China

Dozens of U.S. students are on a visit to multiple cities in China from March 17 to 27 to experience Chinese culture and technology and continue the friendship between the people of the two countries.

"I was so excited as I've never experienced this and I feel like it is such a cool thing," said Yuti Thakor, a student from Steilacoom High School.

"I don't know much about the Chinese culture, but seeing a lot of other people, trying to understand and communicate, and getting to know what they do is really interesting," said Thakor.

Thakor is part of a group of 24 students from Lincoln High School and Steilacoom High School in the U.S. state of Washington, who are on their first visit to China. In Beijing, they visited landmarks such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.

Their journey began following Chinese President Xi Jinping's announcement last November, inviting 50,000 young Americans to China over the next five years.

Beyond Beijing, the Washington group is set to visit Shiyan in central China's Hubei Province, as well as Guangzhou and Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province.

"People-to-people exchanges are an important part of China-U.S. relations. The more flights, merchant ships, cargo ships, tourists and students and scholars cross the Pacific Ocean, the stronger the foundation for the development of bilateral relations," said Xie Tao, dean of the School of International Relations at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

The year 2024 marks the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the United States.

Over the past 45 years, China and the U.S. have witnessed extensive cooperation in fields ranging from economy and trade to science and technology, as well as in-depth people-to-people exchanges.

As for people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, Ping-Pong Diplomacy and panda diplomacy have stood out and continued all along.

In 2023, Flying Tigers veterans Harry Moyer, aged 103, and Melvin McMullen, aged 98, received a warm welcome during their visit to China, underscoring the enduring bond between the two nations. Additionally, the late U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's contributions to bilateral relations remain fondly remembered by Chinese people.

This March, the 24 U.S. high school students enjoy their firsthand experience in China. Dick Muri, mayor of Steilacoom in Washington, said he hoped the 24 students can personally learn about China through this visit and become the youth emissary of China-U.S. friendship during his speech at the China-U.S. Youth Exchange Program held on Monday in Beijing.

Noting the young people of China and the U.S. who grow up in the internet era, are more open and inclusive to each other and share common interests on global issues, Wang Dong, the executive director of the Sino-Foreign Cultural Exchange Research Base of Peking University said boosting youth friendship can enhance communication and understanding between the two countries.

Nowadays, China and the U.S. have collaborated with each other on global issues, including counter-terrorism, financial crises and climate change, though their relationship has faced difficulties in recent years such as trade conflict and sanctions on Chinese tech firms.

"The more difficult China-U.S. relations are, the more necessary it is to strengthen exchanges, carry forward the friendship and set up various exchanges and communication mechanisms between the two countries," Wang said.

Echoing this sentiment, Lincoln High School music teacher Lynn Eisenhauer, who is on her fourth trip to China, said it's important to bring more kids to see the world from a different perspective.

"For them to come here, to walk on the ground and to hear the stories, really gives them a grander idea of why relationships matter," Eisenhauer said.

Xie expressed hope that increased exchanges between the U.S. and China would steer bilateral relations toward sound and stable development.