On January 28, 2024, the Chinese Embassy in the United States held an event in celebration of the 45th anniversary of China-U.S. student exchanges and the 2024 Spring Festival Gala for Chinese and American youths.

Ambassador Xie Feng pointed out in his remarks that some American friends may be concerned about the relatively small number of American students in China. But China never seeks a “student surplus”. We are firmly against any decoupling in education, and are committed to increasing youth exchanges with concrete actions. To implement the initiative announced by President Xi Jinping in San Francisco of inviting 50,000 young Americans to China on exchange and study programs in the next five years, China will set up a YES program — the Young Envoys Scholarship, and encourage diverse forms of cooperation, such as exchange programs between schools, short visits, summer schools and winter camps. We welcome more young friends from the United States to see China with their own eyes, travel the expanse of the country with their own feet, and become the new generation of envoys of friendship between our two countries.

Ambassador Xie said that President Xi stressed that the hope of the China-U.S. relationship lies in the people, and its future depends on the youth. How we view and conduct educational exchanges and cooperation today will shape China-U.S. relations in a significant way. Noting that young people are known for their enthusiasm, courage, imagination and creativity. Ambassador Xie encouraged them to seize opportunities, explore possibilities, and make as many friends as they can, so as to both fulfill themselves through educational cooperation and give a strong boost to the sustained growth of China-U.S. relations.