Young Chinese students were called upon at a prestigious forum to do their part in developing China-US relations.

At the 20th Harvard China Forum (HCF) over the weekend, more than 100 Chinese and American political, business and academic leaders reviewed the development of Sino-US relations and the prospects for cooperation between the two countries.

With a theme of "Sharing the Road Ahead", they discussed issues such as bilateral trade, youth innovation and entrepreneurship, and cultural exchange.

Mark Elliot, vice-provost of international affairs at Harvard University and also an expert on Chinese history, referred to historical examples to show the long history between China and Harvard.

The first Chinese student was enrolled in Harvard in 1881, and now Chinese students are the largest group of international students on campus. The cooperation between Harvard and China is comprehensive.

Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on United States-China Relations, said the number of exchange students between China and the US is at an all-time high. He encouraged the students to "work toward bringing the two countries together".

"The future of US-China relations is in this room," Orlins said.

"What you in this room decide to do with your lives is going to determine the future of US-China relations in the future," he said.

He encouraged the young people present to "have a vision" and "don't be fearful of failure".

"If you participate, if you give back, if you fulfill that obligation, the US-China relations will step onto a higher level," he said in Mandarin.

Zhang Meifang, Chinese deputy consul general in New York, said at the opening ceremony that economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchange between China and the US are more active than at any time in history, and both economies are highly complementary.

Zhang said that Sino-US relations have entered a new era in which cooperation is irreversible and a win-win situation is people-driven.

"I hope everyone present tonight could make your effort to further promote the development of relations between China and the US in the coming 20 years," Zhang said.

Guests at the two-day forum included former US treasury secretary Hank Paulson; Graham Allison, Douglas Dillon professor of government at Harvard.

Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington and Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban gave speeches and joined panel discussions.

According to the organizer, the number of attendees reached 1,000 this year.

xiaohong@chinadailyusa.com