Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced that China will invite 100,000 young Americans to visit China for study and cultural exchanges over the next five years, as Beijing and Washington seek to strengthen people-to-people ties amid broader tensions between the two countries.
Xi made the announcement on September 24, 2026, at the White House during his state visit to the United States and meetings with President Donald Trump. He said young people would play an important role in shaping the future of China-US relations.
New Youth Exchange Initiative
Xi said the new programme builds on a previous Chinese initiative launched in 2023 to bring 50,000 young Americans to China within five years. According to China’s Foreign Ministry, that target was reached in 2026, around two and a half years ahead of schedule.
The expanded programme is intended to provide opportunities for young Americans to travel, study and participate in exchanges with Chinese counterparts.
Xi described people-to-people connections as an important foundation for the bilateral relationship, saying the future of China-US relations lies with younger generations.
Part of Wider US-China Engagement
The announcement came during Xi’s three-day US state visit, which runs from September 23 to 25. The visit is focused on managing differences while exploring areas of cooperation between the world’s two largest economies.
Xi and Trump have also discussed issues including trade, artificial intelligence, security and international conflicts. Xi has called for the two countries to maintain dialogue and keep competition within limits, while emphasizing that confrontation should be avoided.
The two leaders also highlighted the historical cooperation between Americans and Chinese during the Second World War, using that shared history to underscore the importance of continued engagement between their peoples.
A Push for People-to-People Relations
The 100,000-person initiative represents a significant expansion of China’s youth-exchange efforts with the United States. Its implementation and the specific programmes through which participants will travel and study are expected to determine how the initiative develops over the coming five years.
For Beijing and Washington, the programme adds a people-to-people dimension to efforts to maintain communication despite continuing differences over trade, technology, Taiwan and other geopolitical issues.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
