BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- China expects more Chinese and U.S. young people to take up the baton of friendship between the two countries to make new contributions to the steady, sound and sustainable development of bilateral ties, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said here on Friday.

Chinese and US young students attend the closing ceremony of "A Shared Voyage: China-US Youth Friendship Program" in Shanghai on April 8, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)

Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a daily press briefing. Since the launch of an 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.

In the course of interactions, young people of China and the United States have reached out to one another, deepened mutual understanding, built profound friendship and turned a new page in the friendly exchanges between the two peoples, said Mao.

It is hoped that more young people from the two countries will learn from each other and make progress together, act as "envoys of friendship" bridging the Pacific Ocean, and make new contributions to the stable, sound and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations, she added.