US-China People's Dialogue highlights essential role of people-to-people exchanges

Chinese director, screenwriter and actor Jiang Wen (3rd R) speaks at the 2025 U.S.-China People's Dialogue held at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in Los Angeles, California, the United States, Nov. 16, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 2025 U.S.-China People's Dialogue opened on Sunday with participants underscoring the essential role of people-to-people exchanges in fostering stable bilateral relations.

The three-day event, co-hosted by the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) at Tsinghua University and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR), was designed to provide a constructive space for experts, scholars and practitioners from both countries to exchange views, share experiences and explore practical ways to strengthen mutual understanding and trust at the societal level, according to a press release from the CISS at Tsinghua University.

This year's event, themed "Bridging the Cultural and Informational Divide," covers a wide range of topics, including higher education, artificial intelligence, pop culture, social media and the Chinese American community, with more than 30 experts from academia, business, technology and cultural sectors participating.

It marks the third consecutive year the dialogue has been held, following editions in New York in 2023 and Beijing in 2024.

At a media briefing before the dialogue, Yang Bin, vice chair of Tsinghua University Council, said the 2025 dialogue aims to explore new pathways and mechanisms for people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, deepen mutual understanding and trust, and help foster a rational and constructive public opinion environment in the United States.

He noted that this year's dialogue has introduced an innovative "group dialogue+" format, building on the first two editions. The format includes plenary discussions, breakout sessions, field visits and exchanges with international students, seeking to provide more diverse perspectives, more focused themes, and deeper dialogue outcomes.

Stephen Orlins, president of the NCUSCR, said, "What we are seeking to do this time is to think about what the impediments are to people-to-people exchanges and see if we can make productive suggestions for both governments to facilitate those people-to-people exchanges."

He noted that people-to-people exchanges between the United States and China should be enhanced, since "it is the foundation."

"If we don't improve the foundation, the structure is weak," he added.