(MENAFN) Chinese President Xi Jinping recently replied to a group of teachers and students from Montgomery County, Maryland, who participated in a youth pickleball cultural exchange program during their visit to China. The visit was part of a broader initiative aimed at bringing 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study opportunities over five years.

Xi congratulated the delegation on the success of their trip and expressed his pleasure that pickleball has become a new platform fostering youth exchanges between China and the United States.

Highlighting the importance of young people in shaping future relations, Xi emphasized that the future of China-U.S. ties depends on the younger generation. He hoped the delegation members would serve as new ambassadors of friendship, helping to deepen ties between the two nations.

Earlier, the delegation had sent Xi a letter thanking him for the “50,000 in Five Years” initiative. They recounted their experiences in China, including engaging in pickleball activities and building lasting friendships with Chinese youth. They also expressed a desire to invite Chinese young people to visit the United States in the future.

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