More than 48,500 young people from the United States have visited China for exchange and study programs since the launch of the"50,000 in Five Years" initiative more than two years ago, according to the latest data released by the Ministry of Education.

The initiative, which was announced by President Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November 2023, aims to encourage more exchanges among young people of the two countries.

Yang Dan, head of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges of the Ministry of Education, said the initiative has been widely applauded by Chinese and US communities as a means to boost people-to-people ties and inject youthful vitality into bilateral relations.

"The initiative's implementation has seen progress, exceeding expectations in terms of speed, outcomes and global impact," Yang said.

As of early March, the number of young people from the US visiting China had surpassed 48,500, he said, adding that they traveled from all 50 states of the US and visited 31 provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland, as well as the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

The groups comprised students from institutions ranging from primary schools to universities in the US, and many of them set foot in China for the first time, gaining a vivid and multidimensional understanding of the country, Yang said.

The projects and activities they participated in ranged from cultural experiences and language learning to summer and winter camps, science and technology exchanges, sports competitions, academic credit programs and degree courses.

"Seeing is believing," Yang said, noting that by touring China, these young people from the US have been able to closely engage with their Chinese peers on topics such as global governance, environmental protection, cultural heritage preservation and innovative development.

He said that young people from the US returned home with lively stories about China, becoming rational and objective voices with regard to China-US ties.

Fifty thousand young people means 50,000 friendships and 50,000 channels of communication, Yang said, emphasizing that they could turn the inclusive, open, trusting and win-win spirit cultivated through peer activities into a solid foundation for the positive growth of bilateral relations.

They can become a lasting source of strength for the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-US relations, he added.

Moving forward, Yang said, China will explore more diverse forms of exchange, build more platforms and introduce stronger social support to encourage sustained and institutionalized mutual visits.

When more and more young people from China and the US become envoys of friendship and when heart-to-heart communication forms a mighty force, the China-US relationship will be built on a stronger foundation and have a brighter future, Yang said.

One notable example of such an exchange took place at Jiaxing University in Zhejiang province in May last year, when 11 students and faculty members from Missouri State University attended a business administration exchange program.

During the weeklong event, the US delegation visited Alibaba and Hormel Foods to learn about cross-border e-commerce and localized product innovation.

As part of an in-depth exploration of Jiaxing's specialty industries, the participants studied how local woolen sweater enterprises have adopted cross-border e-commerce and artificial intelligence-driven solutions to upgrade their operations and boost exports.

Cultural activities included making traditional pastries, dumplings and zongzi, or sticky rice wrapped in leaves with various fillings, as well as visits to Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing and West Lake in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang.

"This trip to China, to Jiaxing, will be an unforgettable memory for the rest of my life. I will tell my classmates back in the US about the different China I have experienced," said Michael James Guilfoy, a student from Missouri State University.

Anthony Lakin, another student from the university, who documented his journey on camera, called it "the best experience" of his life, adding that he would definitely ask his family members and friends to visit China.

Daezia Cymone Smith, a Missouri State University faculty member, said that she will tell her family about "the real China", which is "a very cool experience".

zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn