Sharing ideas

In 2023, President Xi proposed an initiative to invite 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programs over a five-year span.

O'Jack noted that the program has largely focused on high school and younger groups of students, and "that is important because the youth are our future".

Anders Ibsen, 40, who was sworn in as mayor of Tacoma in January, hosted a Chinese ping-pong delegation at Lincoln High School in the city, a school that Xi visited in 2015.

Ibsen said it is very important to "give young people an understanding about what it means to have greater partnerships, especially with our growing global economy".

"That's the basis of shared prosperity as well as peace … in someone's life. If they can understand that it's a big world and that there are a lot of other different ideas out there, then we're all better off," he added.

Last month, Ibsen traveled to China with Tacoma high school students, his second visit to the country."I first visited here in 2018. I visited Fuzhou (in Fujian province), which is one of Tacoma's four sister cities."

"To give you some reference, the city of Tacoma is a major port city on the west coast … About half of our total trade comes from China. As a result, we very strongly value the partnership," he said.

Chinese trade will continue to be very important to the port of Tacoma, as well as the investments it has seen in the local economy, Ibsen said.

During the trip, Ibsen said the group was also able to learn more about innovative programs the government is working on. "There's always something to learn. We should always continue being students," he said.

When asked about what impressed him most in China, he said it was "the people".

"In the case of the city of Tacoma, my primary concern is keeping my residents safe and prosperous … and by having these cultural exchanges, we can focus on the results, we can dispense with noise, we can dispense with politics," he said.

"We can just focus on what makes things better for people, what makes for a happier, more peaceful world. And that is the strength of cooperation. That's why we're here," he added.