Chinese and American university students called for more exchanges and cooperation in sectors spanning culture, climate change and sci-tech innovation at a dialogue and cultural exchange event held on Thursday in Beijing.
The Zhi-Xing China: U.S.-China Youth Leaders Dialogue was held on Thursday in the Chinese capital, inviting more than 200 students from nearly 50 universities in China and the United States.
At the event, young people from the two countries held heated discussions on topics such as youth exchanges, climate change and sci-tech innovation, deepening mutual understanding through the collision of ideas.
During the event, the students also exchanged their ping-pong skills, a sport that helped the two countries mend ties after a period of estrangement.
At the cultural experience area, U.S. students tried facial makeup painting and Chinese folk instrument playing. Immersion into Chinese culture even extended into experiences with the cutting-edge 3D printing, a technology China helps to advance.
One young man discovered a newfound love for the unique performance style of Peking Opera, the most prevalent form of Chinese opera.
"I'm pretending like I'm on a horse. This is super fun. Chinese culture is amazing," said Cade Clayton, a student from the University of Chicago.
"I've always loved China and what I knew about China, and now that I know more about China I only love it more. [I have] a kind of continual hope to come back to China, see more of it. I would love to go to Tibet (Xizang), to Chongqing, to Shanghai to experience all of the different aspects of China and get a more full understanding of China and its people. I think continued exchanges like that can really bring people together, and I think that was the most important - bringing people together and connecting them," said Noah, a student from the University of Minnesota.
The group of American students attended colorful exchange events in various Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shanghai as well as the province of Shaanxi over the past two weeks.
Cultural experiences take center stage as Chinese, American students call for cooperation
Chinese President Xi Jinping's keynote speech at the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit resonated with the common aspiration of more than 2.8 billion Chinese and African people and demonstrated China's firm will of moving forward hand-in-hand with Africa along the path of development, revitalization and modernization, several participants at the event have said.
In his speech on Thursday, Xi proposed that bilateral relations between China and all African countries having diplomatic ties with China be elevated to the level of strategic relations, and that the overall characterization of China-Africa relations be elevated to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.
He also announced that the Chinese government will provide 360 billion yuan (about 50.8 billion U.S. dollars) of financial support to Africa over the next three years.
"Everyone was happy to hear those news, so everyone was clapping. So now we are going to a higher level of relations between China and Africa," said Hamidou, a counselor at the Embassy of Comoros in Beijing.
"China understands Africa's urgent desire to advance modernization. We can learn a lot from China's development," said Foreign Minister of Burkina Faso Karamoko Jean Marie Traore.
Xi also suggested 10 partnership actions for modernization that China will take together with Africa in the next three years to deepen China-Africa cooperation and spearhead modernization in the Global South.
"President Xi, through his long vision of the needs of countries and his interest in supporting development, has offered this as a real vehicle to promote exports of Africa to China, which is a huge market," said Alaa Ezz, secretary general of the Union of African Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture, and Professions (UACCIAP).
"As he told this morning, we have many projects in digitalization, in capacity building, in health centers, support for health, for infrastructure, in the framework of the Belt and [Road]. And we think that we are very satisfied with this partnership. This is a win-win partnership," said Gabriel Mbairobe, Cameroon's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Held in Beijing from Wednesday to Friday, the 2024 FOCAC summit brought together leaders from China and over 50 African countries, who highlighted the common pursuit of China and African countries in realizing modernization.
During the summit, both sides unanimously adopted two important documents -- a declaration on jointly building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era, and an action plan of the FOCAC for the next three years.
Xi's speech at FOCAC summit resonates with people's common aspiration: participants
