On May 23, 2026, President Xi Jinping replied to a letter from Chinese and U.S. students participating in “A Shared Voyage: China-U.S. Youth Friendship Program”.

Xi Jinping said he was pleased to learn that students from the two countries had taken an unforgettable friendship voyage aboard the China-U.S. Youth Friendship vessel. The story of China-U.S. friendship is written by the people, and the future of China-U.S. relations is shaped by the youth. Since he launched the initiative to invite 50,000 young Americans to China for exchanges and study over the next five years in November 2023, more than 50,000 young Americans have come to China for visits and exchanges, meeting the target two and a half years ahead of schedule. In the course of interactions, young people of China and the United States have reached out to one another, deepened mutual understanding, built profound friendship and turned a new page in the friendly exchanges between the two peoples.

Xi Jinping pointed out that young people are full of vitality and dreams. They represent the future and hope of China-U.S. relations, and also of the world. He expressed the hope that more young people from the two countries will take up the baton of the bilateral friendship, learn from each other and make progress together, act as “envoys of friendship” bridging the Pacific Ocean, and make new contributions to the stable, sound and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations.

Recently, Chinese and U.S. students participating in “A Shared Voyage: China-U.S. Youth Friendship Program” wrote to President Xi Jinping, expressing gratitude for the “50,000 in Five Years” Initiative, which has provided valuable opportunities for young people of the two countries to study and exchange.