China's top envoy in Washington urged the United States to "earnestly" follow through on the top leaders' consensus by building bridges, not barriers, to youth exchanges — interactions he said are vital to strengthening ties between China and the United States.

In his remarks at the 2026 China-US Youth Spring Festival Gala at the embassy on Saturday, Ambassador Xie Feng reflected on a year of successful intercultural collaboration, noting how thousands of students have crossed borders to engage in scientific innovation, athletic competition and educational partnerships.

Many participants have called their visits "life-changing", saying that time spent on Chinese campuses, in local communities and at companies helped them break out of an information cocoon and dispel long-held misunderstandings, Xie said in remarks titled "Charge ahead with youthful vigor and embark on a new journey hand in hand."

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"As the most important bilateral relationship in the world, the China-US relationship requires careful nurturing by both our peoples. Youth exchanges, like spring plowing, instill the greatest vitality into the process," he said.

The current momentum is anchored in the consensus reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump during their meeting in Busan, South Korea, last October, where they agreed to promote people-to-people exchanges.

Xie recalled that Xi pointed out that fostering friendly exchanges and cooperation is the shared aspiration of the people of China and the US, and that Trump said on multiple occasions that the US welcomes Chinese students.

"We call on the US side to earnestly implement our presidents' consensus, view and handle China-US relations with a long-term perspective, build bridges instead of barriers and encourage, rather than hinder, our youths' interactions, learning and research," Xie said.

Recognizing the strengths of both countries' education systems, the ambassador called for a collaborative environment where both sides can draw on each other and complement one another.

"We firmly support people with vision from the US 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-US educational exchanges, so as to infuse more hope and vitality into bilateral relations," he said.

The ambassador said he looked forward to the next generation taking a leading role in tackling frontier challenges through practical, future-oriented cooperation, driving dialogue and collaboration in cutting-edge sectors such as the digital economy, artificial intelligence, and green and low-carbon development.

He again extended a warm welcome to young Americans to participate in the "50,000 in Five Years" initiative, inviting them to visit China for exchanges, tours and further studies to personally experience the country and make every moment of their youth count.

The "50,000 in Five Years" initiative was proposed by Xi in November 2023, aiming to bring 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programs over a five-year period.

In a reply letter to a US youth education exchange delegation from Florida on Jan 7, Xi said that since the launch of the initiative, more than 40,000 US youth have actively participated, opening a window for them to understand the real China and building a bridge to carry forward the friendship between the two peoples.

Also speaking at the gala, Sean Stein, president of the US-China Business Council, said the initiative "stands out" in the minds of most people, partly because the message was so clear that the world's two largest and most dynamic countries are going to work together.

"We need to understand each other better, and the best way to do that is by investing in the next generation to ensure that mutual understanding starts with the youth and then can grow," Stein said.

He said the business community understands just how important it is to have students from the US and China engage and to travel in both countries.

"People-to-people exchange is not a side project of the US-China relationship, it is a cornerstone. It is one of the most important things the two countries can do together," Stein said.

The gala was attended by representatives of Chinese and US students, including those from more than 20 US states and the District of Columbia.

During the YES! China Talk session, participants of the Young Envoys Scholarship program shared their experiences in China.

"We build friendships one relationship, one rally at a time," said Jeff Sullivan, director of systemwide athletics at Montgomery County Public Schools, describing student exchanges that mix cultural visits with pickleball matches.

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Sullivan, who leads the "pickleball diplomacy" initiative with Montgomery County Public Schools, said his students traveled to Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing and returned with what he called a new family-like cohesion.

"We formed strong relationships as a delegation, as a family," Sullivan said, describing students learning culture and history alongside learning the sport.

Hockey players and staff from the University of Wyoming described two weeks of games, youth clinics and sightseeing that left them with new contacts they said they still message daily.

Contact the writer at huanxinzhao@chinadailyusa.com