U.S. students and experts are looking forward to Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United States, with many hoping the trip will enhance mutual understanding, expand people-to-people exchanges and contribute to global peace and prosperity.
President Xi is set to travel to Washington for a state visit and a high-stakes meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. With the upcoming visit, the two presidents are expected to complete reciprocal visits within months.
Following the official announcement of Xi's U.S. visit on Monday, his recent letter of reply to American university students was made public. In his letter, Xi encouraged them to foster greater mutual understanding and affinity between people of the two countries, and to promote the steady and sustained development of bilateral relations.
The American students who wrote to President Xi said they were delighted to receive his reply and expressed hope that his visit to the U.S. would further advance bilateral relations.
They particularly appreciated China's program to invite 50,000 American youths to China for exchange and study over five years in a program that was launched in 2023.
"One of our gratitude for the initiative, which was focused on bringing U.S. students to China and showing them Chinese culture, society, things of that nature. Communicating our gratitude was definitely I think our main focus, but also really describing what we learned," said a student at Columbia University.
"President of China would be responding to us in a letter, like a written letter. So it was definitely a very special feeling. And I think that his focus on creating a future of shared dialogue and more exchange programs between the two countries is what really stood out to me," said a student at American University.
Tashina Giraud, director of International Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives at the American University, noted that such exchanges highlight the important role of people-to-people ties.
"It's a reminder that the future of U.S.-China relations will not only be shaped by governments, but also by the relationships between ordinary people, especially young people. These experiences help us break down stereotypes and foster mutual respect," she said.
U.S. observers emphasized that head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-U.S. relations. They expressed hope that the two leaders will reach more consensus on bilateral cooperation and global issues.
"I expect President Xi and President Trump are going to find a new pathway forward. I really believe that. I have a lot of hope for the future. I think that the the best years are yet to come," said Adam Foster, chairman of the Helen Foster Snow Foundation.
"The more that we see the two men across from each other at the table, I think that will be a really impressive moment. I think maybe more than anything else, the rather quick turn around in these two meetings May to September which, when you're talking about world leaders, seems like nanoseconds. To be able to see one in one country in May and now President Xi coming to the United States in September, I think it is absolutely a big deal," said Anthony Moretti, associate professor at the School of Communication and Media at Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania.
U.S. students, experts expect stronger US-China ties following Xi’s upcoming visit to US
