President Sean Stein,
President Charles Welch,
Dear students, teachers and friends,

Good evening, and a very warm welcome to you all to the Spring Festival Gala at our Embassy! I can still vividly remember our gathering here last January, where we shared the festive joy by making dumplings, writing the character “Fu” for good fortune, and putting up spring couplets. It is great to come together with our young friends again today for our annual celebration. Just now, we had fun at the temple fair, appreciated Suzhou embroidery and made sweet rice balls, kicking off a new chapter in the friendship between Chinese and American youths.

Just a few days into the year 2026, we witnessed a happy and big event in China-U.S. youth exchanges: President Xi Jinping replied to a letter from a U.S. youth education exchange delegation from Florida. In the letter, President Xi expressed his expectation to see more American youth joining the cause of China-U.S. friendship, becoming a new generation of envoys for friendship between our two countries, and making greater contributions to enhancing people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States and promoting the development of bilateral relations. Over the past year, President Xi has replied to letters from and sent messages to the youth multiple times, extending warm invitations and sharing sincere hopes. Under our leaders’ guidance, China-U.S. youth exchanges have gone from strength to strength, steadily injecting fresh vigor into bilateral relations.

Over the past year, our youths have learned from each other, and moved forward hand in hand.The vast Pacific could not keep our youths apart. Tens of thousands of Chinese students came to the U.S. for further studies, while more than 20,000 young Americans visited China. Our young people performed together on stage, competed in the arena, and collaborated in scientific innovation, achieving fruitful results every step on the way. From student choirs in Los Angeles, the pickleball delegation from Maryland and the hockey team from Wyoming, to China’s traditional culture, science classes and unique cuisines, new windows are opening for our youths to connect, share, and celebrate each other’s cultures. Many teenagers have become pen pals, and a number of primary and middle schools have established sister-school partnerships, further strengthening the bonds between our two peoples.

Over the past year, our youths have reached out to each other, and striven to be envoys of goodwill. American teenagers delved into Chinese campuses, communities and enterprises, to enjoy stunning landscapes, explore cutting-edge technologies, and soak in the charm of ancient culture. They were impressed by China’s warm hospitality, safety, technological advances and convenient transport. Many saw their trip to China as “life-changing”, and are planning to go back for further studies and career opportunities. Meanwhile, Chinese students here in the U.S. have also broadened their horizons in a different culture. With their first-hand experience, the younger generation has broken the information cocoon and cleared up misunderstandings. All these seeds of correct perception planted today will surely grow into towering trees tomorrow, fostering affinity between our peoples and nations.

Over the past year, our youths have innovated together, and driven the change of our times. Young scientists from both countries have joined hands to achieve breakthroughs in areas including early cancer detection and degradable materials. Students from Harvard University visited Beijing and Shanxi for educational exchanges, business visits and cultural tours, during which they attended classes on AI education, interacted with intelligent robots, and shared their understanding of STEM education. Youth representatives from China and the U.S. also gathered at the World Youth Conference for Peace in Beijing, calling for cherishing peace, upholding solidarity and jointly combating global challenges, and reaffirming their commitment to forging a community with a shared future for humanity and building a better world.

Dear friends,

As a Chinese proverb goes, “A year’s plan starts with spring.” Spring is the season to sow hope and chart the path to the future. As the most important bilateral relationship in the world, the China-U.S. relationship requires careful nurturing by both our peoples. Youth exchanges, like spring plowing, instill the greatest vitality into the process. At present, China is taking solid steps to follow up on the 15th Five-Year Plan and advance Chinese modernization on all fronts through high-quality development. An open and inclusive China will always be an anchor of stability for world peace, a pillar of global development, and a major engine of global growth. Embracing China is embracing opportunities, and supporting China-U.S. youth exchanges is investing in the future. From this fresh starting point, there is much we can look forward to.

We look forward to removing obstacles to interactions with resolve. Youth exchanges are a project of hope in China-U.S. relations. With vision and foresight, our two Presidents reached important consensus on promoting people-to-people exchanges during the Busan Summit last October. President Xi Jinping pointed out that fostering friendly exchanges and cooperation is the shared aspiration of the people of both China and the U.S. China is ready to be a partner and friend of the U.S., and our door of friendship is always open to the American people. President Donald Trump said on multiple occasions that the U.S. side welcomes Chinese students. We call on the U.S. side to earnestly implement our Presidents’ consensus, view and handle China-U.S. relations with a long-term perspective, build bridges instead of barriers, and encourage, rather than hinder, our youths’ interactions, learning and research.

We look forward to boosting exchanges with courage. Minds are enlivened through dialogue, and civilizations progress through exchange. China has built the world’s largest high-quality education system, with abundant and comprehensive talent resources. The U.S. is a leading nation in education, boasting rich resources and a deep-rooted tradition of innovation. Both our countries have a lot of insightful educators, and we have every reason to draw on each other, complement one another, and set an example for enhancing mutual understanding and expanding cooperation. We firmly support people with vision from the U.S. education community and other sectors in speaking up and acting with a sense of responsibility for the future, overcoming the chilling effect and disruptions, and vigorously advocating and participating in China-U.S. educational exchanges, so as to infuse more hope and vitality into bilateral relations.

We look forward to keeping our friendship evergreen with action. 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 yourselves, and make every moment of your youth count.

Dear friends,

Very soon, we will ring in the Year of the Horse. In Chinese culture, the horse symbolizes vigor, aspiration and bold resolve. May all our young friends 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!

Thank you very much.