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Xi Jinping wants more young Americans to visit China. Visa-free entry might help
- It won’t be easy to reach the 50,000 target over the next five years, but cutting red tape could ‘help a lot’, observers say
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Orange Wangin Beijing
President Xi Jinping has pledged to bring 50,000 young Americans to China over the next five years for study and exchange programmes as a way to improve ties. Observers say reaching that goal will not be easy – but visa-free entry could help.
They say a tense geopolitical climate, uncertainty over the US election and negative public opinion could all stand in the way, in addition to Washington’s warning against travelling to China.
The convoluted process of getting a visa is also a deterrent, and observers have urged Beijing to reduce red tape and offer visa-free entry for US students if it wants to meet its target.
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Xi announced the plan when he was in California in November after a meeting with US President Joe Biden where the two leaders agreed to try to stabilise relations, including through more non-official exchanges.
China has hosted a slew of exchange events since then, including last month’s “Bond with Kuliang: 2024 China-US Youth Festival”.
Beijing pitched it as the biggest youth exchange event between the two nations since they established diplomatic relations more than 40 years ago, and more than 200 young Americans took part in the weeklong festival in the southeastern province of Fujian.
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