"It is the youth who will shape our future, and we want the young people of the United States and China to have the opportunity to exchange places and spend time in each other's countries so they can better understand the importance of the relationship," said Jan Berris, vice president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

by Xinhua writer Liu Yanan

NEW YORK, June 21 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States need to build on the recent momentum and make bilateral people-to-people exchanges longer-lasting and more in-depth, said Jan Berris, vice president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, in an interview with Xinhua.

"It is wonderful that China has been able to fulfill that initiative in only half the time, in 2.5 years," Berris told Xinhua recently, referring to the "50,000 in 5 Years" Initiative announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Since the launch of the initiative of inviting 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programs in a five-year span in November 2023, over 50,000 young Americans have visited China, achieving the target two-and-a-half years ahead of schedule, Xi said recently in replying to a letter from participants of "A Shared Voyage: China-U.S. Youth Friendship Program."

"So now, we need to build on that and make these exchanges longer and more in-depth, so that people have a deeper understanding of the other country and the people in the other country," said Berris.

Berris, who welcomed the visiting Chinese table tennis delegation to the United States in 1972, has witnessed ping-pong diplomacy firsthand and the development of China-U.S. relations over the past decades.

"We need to have that exchange from younger people up through high school, college, graduate school. We need to have these exchanges at all levels," Berris said.

"It is the youth who will shape our future, and we want the young people of the United States and China to have the opportunity to exchange places and spend time in each other's countries so they can better understand the importance of the relationship," said Berris.

"It's really important for people to see for themselves what the other country is like, to have an opportunity to talk to other people. And then you make up your own mind," said Berris. "There's no substitute for seeing things with your own eyes," she added.

Berris spoke highly of "A Shared Voyage: China-U.S. Youth Friendship Program," calling it a "wonderful program."

The program allowed a group of 20 students from China and the United States to sail on a marine science and cultural exchange voyage from Hong Kong to Shanghai from the end of March to early April.

"They all shared a common interest in studying the oceans and understanding the oceans better. Those kinds of exchanges are wonderful, and I just wish we all had the opportunity to put together programs like that," said Berris.