Xi urges US students to sustain China-US friendship
HK01 · 7 SOURCESabout 21 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
President Xi Jinping has replied to a joint letter from nearly 100 students from 10 US universities who took part in a youth exchange visit to China earlier this month, saying young people in both countries should help carry forward, safeguard and develop China-US friendship and cooperation. State media, as cited by multiple reports, said Xi also called on the younger generation to promote mutual understanding between the two peoples and contribute to a better world. The reply was disclosed on Monday, ahead of Xi’s state visit to Washington from Wednesday to Friday for talks with US President Donald Trump. The students had joined a week-long programme from September 1 to 7 covering Jinan, Qufu and Beijing, with visits focused on culture, technology and campus dialogue.
Key Points
- Xi said Chinese and American youth share the same planet and the mission of the times, and should help ensure steady, long-term bilateral ties.
- The letter came from nearly 100 students from 10 US universities, including Harvard, Columbia, the University of Chicago and the University of Washington.
- The September 1 to 7 programme brought together 170 Chinese and American youths in Jinan, Qufu and Beijing during China’s APEC host year.
- Organisers said participants visited Nishan Sacred Land, the Confucius Mansion and Temple, the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Mutianyu Great Wall.
- The itinerary also included Yizhuang robotics displays, Beijing’s high-level autonomous driving demonstration zone, Xiaomi’s electric vehicle factory and discussions at Tsinghua and Qufu Normal University.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the episode shows how youth exchanges and other people-to-people channels are being used to support China-US ties at a sensitive diplomatic moment before a leaders’ meeting. It also puts a Hong Kong-linked organiser in focus: Sino Group chairman Daryl Ng Win-kong (黃永光) said he hoped to use Hong Kong’s “super connector” role to bring more international youth to China.