Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent reply to a letter from Lamont Repollet, President of Kean University in New Jersey, the U.S., could not have occurred at a more opportune time.
Written against the backdrop of the 50,000-student initiative announced by President Xi during a visit to the United States in November 2023, the letter emphasized the importance of educational exchanges in building positive bilateral relations, and called on universities in both countries to strengthen cooperation in pursuing China-U.S. friendship.
That initiative, which involves an offer by the Chinese Government to host 50,000 American students over the course of five years, represents an attempt to rebuild some of the bridges that have been torn asunder by a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the souring of U.S.-China relations since
