BEIJING, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- 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.
In late 2023, China announced a program to invite 50,000 American youths to China in the next five years for exchanges and study.
Over the past three years,China has hosted more than 50,000 young Americans for exchanges and study visits, hitting the five-year target set in 2023.The U.S. young visitors, from the country's 50 states and Washington, D.C., reached across China's 31 provincial-level regions as well as Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.They participated in activities as diverse as learning languages, summer and winter camps, sports competitions, and academic studies for credits or degrees.
The exchanges bridged information gaps, strengthened goodwill and contributed to stable, healthy and sustainable bilateral ties.
Via interactions, young people from both countries have reached out to one another, deepened mutual understanding and built lasting friendships, opening a new chapter in people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States.
Students from the United States learn Chinese ancient poems at a school in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, April 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Lu Ye)
An American student from U.S. state Iowa experiences Qixi traditions during a cultural event at Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, Aug. 10, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Xiao)
Members of a delegation of high school students from the U.S. state of Washington experience China's school life at Shenzhen Nanshan Foreign Language Senior High School in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, March 25, 2024.(Xinhua/Mao Siqian)
Members of a delegation of high school students from the U.S. state of Washington experience Chinese calligraphy at Shenzhen Nanshan Foreign Language Senior High School in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, March 25, 2024. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)
Chinese and American youth in traditional Chinese costumes, taking part in the "Across the Pacific: China-U.S. Youth Dialogue for a Shared Future" exchange program, pose for a group photo in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, July 14, 2025. (China International Communications Group Center for the Americas/Handout via Xinhua)
A Chinese student introduces Cantonese food to members of a delegation of high school students from the U.S. state of Washington at Yongqingfang in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, March 24, 2024. (Xinhua/Lu Hanxin)
A member of the Whiffenpoofs a cappella choir of Yale University and a member of a local choir sing together at Zhaoxing Dong Village of Liping County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, March 23, 2026. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)
Chinese and American young musicians perform during a joint concert themed "Youth Dialogue for the Future" in New York, the United States, on June 10, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)
Teenagers from China and the United States sing during a closing performance of Bond with Kuliang: 2025 China-U.S. Youth Choir Festival in Beijing, capital of China, July 16, 2025. (Xinhua/Lu Ye)
Students from Muscatine High School in the U.S. state of Iowa practice an ethnic dance with Chinese students at the High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University in Beijing, capital of China, April 18, 2024. (Photo by Liu Zunshuan/Xinhua)
Members of Chinese and U.S. youth football teams compete in a friendship match in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 8, 2026. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)
Students of Lincoln High School of the U.S. state of Washington and Beijing National Day School take selfies during the NFL FLAG China-U.S. Youth Flag Football Exchange Event & Lincoln High School 2025 China Tour in Beijing, capital of China, May 26, 2025. (Xinhua/Li He)
American and Chinese young people exchange martial arts skills in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, Dec. 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)
American youths from Elon University in the United States participate in a friendly game of ping-pong with Chinese peers at the Stilwell Museum in southwest China's Chongqing, on Jan. 16, 2026. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)
Members of China's national table tennis team interact with American students from La Salle College Preparatory in Los Angeles, the United States, July 6, 2026. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)
An American student (R) from Muscatine High School in the U.S. state of Iowa poses for a photo with a Chinese student at Shijiazhuang Zoo in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, April 21, 2024. (Photo by Liu Zunshuan/Xinhua)
Chinese and Amercian students perform at the opening ceremony of the 14th China-U.S. Tourism Leadership Summit in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 22, 2024. (Xinhua/Shao Rui)
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