On December 26, Professor John Gong, a China Forum expert and vice president for research at UIBE Israel, gave an interview to CGTN America’s China 24 on people-to-people exchanges between China and the US. 

Today, ties between the citizens, especially students, of China and the US are highly important to the stability and development of the bilateral relationship, as it helps both sides to better understand and respect each other, and to enhance the friendship between the two peoples, said Gong. Washington and Beijing should encourage more youth exchanges between the two countries and expand their scope to foster better mutual understanding, he added.

Though it is difficult to measure their effectiveness in the short term, broad and deep people-to-people exchanges will benefit China-US ties in the long run, said Professor Gong. In addition, he called on the two countries to help cut the travel costs of such exchanges, so that more young people can explore the other country and get a genuine experience of it.