Beijing's top envoy in Washington has extended an invitation to young people in the United States to visit China, which will give them firsthand experiences in the country and enhance mutual understanding between the two nations.

"I invite more young Americans to be part of the '50,000 in five years' initiative, promote dialogue and cooperation, enhance people-to-people exchanges, and carry forward the goodwill between our two peoples," Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng said on Saturday.

In a meeting with US President Joe Biden in San Francisco in November 2023, President Xi Jinping announ-ced that China was going to invite 50,000 young Americans to China on exchange and study programs in the ensuing five years.

The program has so far hosted nearly 15,000 young people from all US states and the District of Columbia, surpassing its annual target, Xie said at the 2025 Spring Festival Gala for Chinese and American Youths, which was held on Saturday at the Chinese embassy in Washington.

Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, will fall on Jan 29 this year, kicking off the Chinese calendar's Year of the Snake.

Xie noted that amid all the changes and turbulence in the international landscape, optimism and confidence are needed more than ever, and that no winter can stop the arrival of spring, and people should gear up for the new year by taking action now.

"The Chinese words for youth, qingchun, literally mean a blooming spring. In the year ahead, I believe the youths from both our countries will instill more hope and vigor into China-US relations," the ambassador said.

Over the past year, young people from the US traveled to China and observed the country with their own eyes, and from those experiences, they have broken out of the echo chamber and shaken off misperceptions, becoming envoys of friendship and connecting both sides of the Pacific, Xie said.

To illustrate how differences in language and culture have not stopped young people from getting to know each other better and deepening friendship, Xie said that Chinese and Americans sang along at Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concerts, and avidly read the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West before playing the video game Black Myth: Wukong.

"Likewise, differences in history and national reality should not impede win-win cooperation between our two countries, to the benefit of both peoples and the world," he said.

The ambassador encouraged young people in both countries to view one another's development with a more open and inclusive mind, and to deepen exchanges and cooperation in a more innovative way and jointly address new challenges, such as those brought by artificial intelligence and climate change, in order to find the right way for their countries to get along in the new era.

Xie joined more than 500 Chinese and US students and US educational representatives at a cultural fair, made dumplings and wrote the character fu (meaning happiness and good fortune) together with young friends.

Speaking at the gala, Tara Boyce-Hofmann, president and CEO of American Field Service USA, said the Year of the Snake symbolizes wisdom and adaptability, "traits that are vital as we navigate our increasingly interconnected world".

AFS-USA is a nonprofit organization that offers international student-exchange programs in more than 80 countries and regions.

"As students and educators, we stand on the threshold of rich opportunities that lie in the cultural exchanges between American and Chinese communities," said Boyce-Hofmann, who oversaw the launch of AFS student programs with China in the mid-1980s.

She noted that visiting each other's country is not merely a journey, but also an experience that opens people's hearts and minds.

"By immersing ourselves in different cultures, we learn to appreciate distinct perspectives, forge genuine friendships and celebrate our shared humanity," she said. "During these exchanges, every smile, every shared meal, and every heartfelt conversation creates lasting connections."

In a podcast interview with Foreign Affairs magazine on Thursday, US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns underlined the importance of increasing the number of young people from the US studying in China.

He said that number currently stands at 1,105, which reflects "modest progress" from a recent low base, and noted that the number was 15,000 a decade ago.