--- description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. title: Educational exchanges sow seeds of understanding image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4095eb7d51b4fa51/6a4b5239b7437e3c7f1f6632/724C5D1FF1CB4152B875BB7128FDEE2D.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- # Educational exchanges sow seeds of understanding  _This content was paid for and prepared by China Daily, an official publication of the People's Republic of China. The TIME editorial and advertising departments were not involved in the creation of this content._ A conductor leads a choir of teenagers from China and the United States during the closing performance of the Bond with Kuliang: 2025 China-U.S. Youth Choir Festival on July 16 at the China National Opera House in Beijing. LU YE / XINHUA By ZHOU JIN and YANG RAN For James Long, co-chair of the Durham Sister Cities Kunshan Committee, his connection with China began in the classroom. “I minored in Chinese studies as an undergraduate,” Long recalled. “I learned at the Confucius Institute and still have many trinkets from my time there. I remember it fondly.” That experience led him to a study-abroad program, in which he immersed himself in Chinese language studies at Nanjing Normal University in Nanjing, the capital of East China’s Jiangsu province. Having been educated in both the United States and China, Long believes that such exchanges are the cornerstone of strong bilateral ties. “Our countries are economically married, but also from a philosophical standpoint, we have to learn from each other,” he said. Seeing the country firsthand will allow people in the U.S., who might have little understanding of China, to understand the speed of China’s development and its rising standard of living, he added. Long is now channeling that conviction into action by working to establish student exchange programs between his home state of North Carolina — where Durham, a city of around 280,000 residents, is located — and China. He acknowledged that the language barrier can be intimidating, as both Chinese and English can be difficult to learn, but he sees technology as a powerful bridge. “I think the internet is helping change that. People are becoming very interested in China because they can see videos (of Chinese cities). It’s mind-blowing to see how advanced these cities are.” He said that digital platforms have sparked curiosity among young people in the U.S. “A lot of Americans are now starting to learn Chinese just on their phones. There are short videos on TikTok teaching people Chinese, and it’s popular.” Long expressed the belief that educational exchange, as an important aspect of people-to-people exchanges, plays a vital role in promoting mutual understanding. That view was echoed by several representatives from the U.S. education, political and academic sectors, who gathered for a recent panel discussion on bilateral educational exchange in Hangzhou, the capital of East China’s Zhejiang province. They agreed that such cooperation is not merely about transferring knowledge, but also about fostering dialogue and nurturing friendship. Susan Thornton, vice-chair of the U.S. Heartland China Association, said the future of U.S.-China relations depends not only on governments and businesses, but also on everyday citizens. Earlier this year, the U.S. Heartland China Association brought a group of 20 young agricultural professionals and students from the U.S. heartland to Beijing and Central China’s Henan province. They visited farms, universities and agri-tech companies, met with Chinese peers and business leaders, and saw firsthand how Chinese farmers are confronting many of the same challenges that they face at home. Thornton added that many members of the group returned home with broadened perspectives and a renewed sense of common purpose. She called for more efforts and support from universities, foundations, nongovernmental organizations and corporations to make studying in China more accessible for U.S. students from all backgrounds. Natalie Mihalek, a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, shared similar views. Educational exchange, she said, “reminds us that while our cultures and systems may differ, our aspirations for knowledge, opportunity and peace are remarkably the same.” “When students and teachers from different countries share classrooms, ideas and experiences, they are not just studying math or science. They are learning empathy, communication and understanding. They are building bridges of trust that politics cannot,” Mihalek said. She added that she looks forward to strengthening the ties between the educational systems of the two countries, including expanding student exchange opportunities, increasing teacher-to-teacher collaboration and investing in joint research initiatives. _Chen Ye and Qi Xiao contributed to this story._ Educational exchanges sow seeds of understanding ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/educational-exchanges-sow-seeds-of-understanding/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/educational-exchanges-sow-seeds-of-understanding/"},"headline":"Educational exchanges sow seeds of understanding","datePublished":"2026-06-18T14:28:25.539Z","dateModified":"2026-06-09T07:28:04.870Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/educational-exchanges-sow-seeds-of-understanding/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/educational-exchanges-sow-seeds-of-understanding/","name":"Educational exchanges sow seeds of understanding"}}]}] ```