(January 11, 2025)

Ms. Tara Hofmann,
Mr. Ryan McElveen,
Principal Elena Lokounia,
Executive Director Bertrand Tchoumi,
Principal Kym Sturdivant,
Dear teachers, students and friends,　　

Good evening. A big welcome to all of you as we come together to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival and renew friendship at the Chinese Embassy!

In January last year, we gathered here to commemorate the 45th anniversary of China-U.S. student exchanges and set out again on a new journey from San Francisco. I can still remember how the Kemusan dance performance brought the entire house down. Over the past year, under the guidance of the two heads of state, the San Francisco vision has been gradually turned into reality. The youths of our two countries have moved forward hand in hand, and made their unique contributions to stabilizing and improving bilateral ties.

Our youths have actively reached out to each other, and striven to be pioneers in developing a right perception toward one another. One of the highlights of China-U.S. relations last year is that President Xi Jinping’s initiative to invite 50,000 young Americans for study or exchange programs yielded fruitful outcomes. Nearly 15,000 American youth from all 50 states and D.C. visited China under the initiative, overfulfilling the annual target. Seeing is believing. They observed China with their own eyes, and travelled the expanse of the country with their own feet. With their firsthand experience, they have broken out of the echo chamber and shaken off misperceptions, becoming envoys of friendship connecting both sides of the Pacific.

Our youths have learned from each other, and grown into a staunch force for mutually beneficial cooperation. Undaunted by the deepening chilling effect, China-U.S. educational cooperation has forged ahead with resilience and strength. The Sino-U.S. University Presidents’ Dialogue and the China-U.S. Basic Education Exchange Event were successfully held. Wenzhou–Kean University, New York University Shanghai, Duke Kunshan University and Schwarzman Scholars at Tsinghua University achieved further success. The Sands Institute for Chinese Language and Culture was launched at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Today, about 300,000 Chinese students are pursuing further studies in the United States. They have not only contributed to the Chinese modernization, but also boosted economic growth and scientific innovation in the United States. 

Our youths have also raced to the top, injecting new blood into the efforts to create a brighter future. Our athletes not only excelled themselves at the Paris Olympics, but also impressed everyone with their warm handshakes and big hugs for each other. Our two countries both topped the gold medal table, a shining example of how we can bring out the best in each other through fair competition.

Also in the past year, the Chang’e 6 mission brought back the first samples from the far side of the moon, and SpaceX’s Starship made the first successful booster catch, recording our common endeavor to explore the infinite. China climbed up to the 11th in Global Innovation Index, and the United States released Sora. Our young scientists have not only pooled wisdom for the development of their motherland, but also stood up to their responsibility for combating global challenges.   

Dear friends,

This is a time fraught with challenges, and also a time calling for hope. Around the world, geopolitical conflicts are dragging on and heating up. The cries in the flames of war have taught us to cherish peace and stability even more. Global growth remains sluggish. Facing attempts of decoupling and severing industrial and supply chains, we are only more determined to pursue openness and cooperation. Amid all the changes and turbulence in the international landscape, some people lament that the world will enter the “garbage time of history”. At such a moment, optimism and confidence are needed more than ever that no winter could stop the arrival of spring, and we should gear up for the new year by taking action from now.

The Chinese words for youth, 青春, literally mean a blooming spring. In the year ahead, I believe the youths from both our countries will instill more hope and vigor into China-U.S. relations.

We hope to establish a new vision for China-U.S. relations. The current stabilizing momentum has not come easily, and both sides need to work in the same direction for a stable relationship in the future. At this new historical starting point, we hope the U.S. side will make the right choice, maintain dialogue, expand cooperation and manage differences, so as to move China-U.S. relations forward along the track of stable, sound and sustainable development.

I encourage our young friends to view each other’s development with a more open and inclusive mind, deepen exchanges and cooperation in a more innovative way, and jointly address new challenges like AI and climate change, so as to help find a right way for China and the United States to get along in the new era.

We hope to write new stories of China-U.S. goodwill. Just now, I explored the cultural fair, made dumplings and wrote the character 福 (meaning happiness and good fortune) together with young friends, soaking up all the festive vibes. I am also glad to see our youths mingling with each other, sharing the joy and happiness at today’s celebration.

Differences in language and culture have not stopped our young people from getting to know each other better and deepening friendship. You both sang along at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts, and avidly read the Journey to the West novel before playing “Black myth: Wukong”. Likewise, differences in history and national reality should not impede win-win cooperation between our two countries, to the benefit of both peoples and the world. I invite more young Americans to be part of the “50,000 in five years” initiative, promote dialogue and cooperation, enhance people-to-people exchanges, and carry forward the goodwill between our two peoples.  

We also hope to open up new space for educational cooperation. Chinese educators believe in education for everyone regardless of their background and also tailoring teaching approaches to suit students’ aptitude, while modern Western education values learning by doing and integrating arts and sciences. Deepening educational cooperation between our two countries will enable us to draw on both philosophies and cultivate global leaders, which is critical to the future of our bilateral relations.

I expect our educational communities to stay undistracted, keep doing the right thing, and strengthen exchanges and cooperation in various forms. Let’s sow seeds of friendship in the hearts of more young people, so as to yield more fruits benefiting both our peoples, build more bridges for our two countries to complement each other, and contribute more to making the world a better place.

Dear friends,

This week, we saw the first snow in D.C. for this year. Chairman Mao Zedong once wrote in his poem, “With flurries of snow returns spring.” When we look back at 2024, we will find that, “On the ice-clad rock rising high and sheer/ A plum flower blooms sweet and fair.” Looking ahead, we are more confident that in 2025, “When the mountain flowers are in full bloom/ She will smile in their midst.” 

The Year of the Snake is around the corner, and spring is not far behind. May the youths of our two countries join hands to usher in a beautiful spring for all! And I wish everyone a very prosperous, joyful and successful Chinese new year!

Thank you very much.