Why the world is watching the Xi-Trump meeting: Steering China-US ties, shaping the future
2026-09-25 11:37:59 source：CGTN
September 25, 2026
For Marlon Forrester and Joey Zhang, a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping brought an unexpected reply.
The two were among nearly 100 students from 10 US universities who recently participated in youth exchanges in China. After the trip, they wrote to Xi to share what they had seen and experienced. A reply arrived on the eve of Xi's state visit to the United States.
In an exclusive interview with CGTN, Forrester, a Harvard faculty member, and Zhang, a Columbia University student, said the experience made them feel part of a new generation carrying forward exchanges between the two countries. They described Xi's engagement with young people as "planting seeds" and "laying a foundation" for future exchanges.
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