"A Shared Voyage: China-US Youth Friendship Program," a people-to-people exchange that gathered 20 young participants from China and the US on a research voyage, concluded on Wednesday along Shanghai's iconic Huangpu River.

Ray Dalio, the program's co-organizer and founder of US investment management firm Bridgewater Associates, praised the initiative at a closing ceremony held aboard the research vessel "China-US Youth Friendship (OceanXplorer)" at the Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal. Bringing together young people from the two countries and also to deal with the ocean has been a dream come true, Dalio said in his remarks at the ceremony.

The renowned US investor also offered practical suggestions for nurturing cultural and interpersonal ties between the next generations of China and the US, stressing the value of "investing" in people-to-people connections.

"Meaningful work and meaningful relationships are the most important things in life. When they can build on each other ... Something special happens," he told the Global Times after the ceremony.

"I would emphasize that we are at a juncture in which we have to deal with the changing world order," Dalio added, referring to the current global landscape. "So that we can rise above ourselves and realize that, the win-win relationships are better than lose-lose relationships."

The program, implemented in follow-up to the "50,000 in 5 Years" Initiative announced in 2023, was jointly organized by the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA), the China-US Exchange Foundation, and OceanX, a philanthropic ocean exploration and media organization founded by Dalio. The initiative seeks to invite 50,000 young Americans to China on exchange and study programs over five years.

This program further deepened mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of China and the US, particularly among young people, said CPIFA Vice-President Geng Shuang. China and the US need more people-to-people exchanges like this to build a solid foundation of public support for a stable, healthy and sustainable bilateral relationship, Geng said in a speech he delivered at the ceremony.

The two-week program covered Chinese cities Hong Kong, Ningbo and Shanghai. Twenty students from Chinese and US universities sailed together to carry out marine science and cultural-exchange activities. During the trip, they also visited historical and cultural sites, high-tech enterprises, new rural development projects and urban civic centers to gain a more authentic, multidimensional and comprehensive understanding of China, according to the organizers.

Two weeks spent together aboard the vessel sowed seeds of friendship and deeper mutual understanding among the young participants. Meredith Kime, a PhD candidate in Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University, recalled an onboard Chinese cultural activity when two Chinese peers taught traditional painting and calligraphy. "That was one of the first memories I have of all of us really feeling like friends, and that was maybe the second day ... You can imagine how close we all are now," Kime told the Global Times aboard the vessel.

For Kime, learning from one another has been the trip's most rewarding aspect. "I've learned a lot from the Chinese students on board, both culturally and professionally," she said.

Xu Jingtong, a third-year ocean science student at Shanghai-based Tongji University, shared a particularly impressive moment from the voyage. When the vessel entered a rough stretch of sea, US and Chinese participants poured out from their cabins onto the deck and began singing and dancing amid strong winds and waves.

"At that moment, I felt that communication can erase barriers, and that cooperation and friendship can cross mountains and seas," she told the Global Times.