From ping-pong diplomacy to youth pickleball tours to giant panda programs, people-to-people exchanges have long strengthened ties between the Chinese and American people, and this dynamic is expected to gain fresh momentum with Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States.
Xi is set to pay a state visit to the United States from September 23 to 25 at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump.
For many years, Xi has consistently championed close relations between the two nations, seeking to bring Chinese and Americans ever closer and rally stronger public support for the two countries to get along.
In November 2023, Xi announced in San Francisco that 50,000 young Americans would be invited to China on exchange and study programs in the next five years.
Since the initiative was launched, youth exchanges between the two countries have grown in both scale and variety. Many young Americans have come to China for exchange and study visits, building friendships and helping strengthen ties across the Pacific.
The initiative’s target was reached two and a half years ahead of schedule earlier this year, with more than 50,000 young Americans from all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., having visited China.
They left footprints in all 31 provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland, as well as in Hong Kong and Macao, taking part in cultural experiences, language learning, academic programs, science and technology exchanges and sports activities, according to China's Ministry of Education.
Under the initiative, pickleball delegations from China and the United States have visited each other's countries, and some of the young participants have stayed in touch since.
"The friendships have been amazing. It's been amazing to watch those friendships form real time and really sustain over a year, almost two years later. Many of our ambassadors still are engaging with their friends in China on WeChat and we look forward to returning," Jeffrey Keith Sullivan, head of the U.S. youth pickleball cultural exchange delegation from Montgomery County, Maryland.
In July 2025, Xi replied to a letter sent by members of the pickleball delegation, saying the future of China-U.S. relations depends on the youth.
Xi expressed the hope that the delegation members will become a new generation of ambassadors for friendship between the two countries and make greater contributions to enhancing the friendship between the two peoples.
Bilateral, people-to-people bonds between the two countries extend well beyond youth exchanges.
The Flying Tigers fighter plane squadron, formed in 1941 by U.S. General Claire Lee Chennault, assisted China during its fight against invading Japanese forces, while cooperation in giant panda conservation has further enriched the bilateral relationship, contributing to a growing foundation of friendship between the two nations.
People-to people exchanges between China, US expected to gain fresh momentum with Xi's visit
