In reply to American students, he voices hope they’ll help boost bilateral bonds
By ZHAO JIA | China Daily
President Xi Jinping has expressed the hope, in a reply to American university students ahead of his three-day state visit to the United States starting on Wednesday, that young people in China and the US will advance bilateral friendship and cooperation.
Nearly 100 students from 10 US universities, including Harvard, had written to Xi about their experiences during exchange programs in China and their willingness to contribute to bilateral friendship.
Xi said he was pleased to learn that the students had enjoyed a memorable trip and was heartened by their appreciation of Chinese civilization, their hopes for friendly cooperation between the two countries, and their willingness to serve as envoys of friendship across the Pacific.
Xi emphasized that young people in China and the US share the same planet and shoulder the responsibilities of their times.
He expressed the hope that the students would work with their peers in both countries to carry forward, safeguard and advance bilateral friendship and cooperation, promote mutual understanding between the two peoples, and help ensure the steady and sustained development of China-US relations, contributing their youthful energy to building a better world.
The reply came as China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday that Xi will make his first state visit to the US in 11 years.
During the visit, President Xi and US President Donald Trump will hold in-depth discussions on major issues concerning China-US relations and world peace and development, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular news briefing.
Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance for bilateral relations, Guo said, adding that reciprocal visits by the two presidents within six months represent a historic milestone.
China is ready to work with the US to give greater substance to a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability, strengthen dialogue and cooperation, and properly manage differences to benefit both peoples and promote world peace, stability and prosperity, he added.
The visit follows Trump’s state visit to China in May, when Xi and Trump agreed on a new vision of building a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability, providing strategic guidance for bilateral ties over the next three years and beyond.
Since Trump took office in January 2025, the two leaders have held two face-to-face meetings and five phone calls, and have written many letters to each other.
Sun Chenghao, an associate research fellow at Tsinghua University’s Center for International Security and Strategy, said that tariff reductions and an extension of the trade truce were key areas to watch. Putting earlier trade understandings into practice could help consolidate stability in bilateral economic ties, he added.
Closer engagement could also help China and the US address challenges facing the wider world, said Zhu Feng, dean of Nanjing University’s School of International Studies, highlighting their shared responsibility to support global peace, stability and development.
Zhu said a more stable China-US relationship could bolster confidence in the global economy. He also stressed the importance of dialogue on regional conflicts and other international challenges, in order to help manage tensions and reduce the risk of miscalculation.
Both sides need to show mutual understanding and respect on issues involving core interests and sensitive concerns, Zhu said, stressing that managing differences does not mean avoiding them.
People-to-people exchanges are another important part of the relationship. Xi has emphasized on a number of occasions that the hope of China-US relations lies in the people and that the future depends on young people.
In San Francisco in November 2023, he announced an initiative to invite 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programs over five years. The target has been met two-and-a-half years ahead of schedule.
Moritz Kuhlmann, an affiliated researcher at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, hailed the initiative as a way to deepen mutual understanding. “We start with small steps, very narrow, very concrete,” he said, “and that can evolve into something bigger.”
zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn