On May 3-4, 2012, the 3rd U.S.-China Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE) was held in Beijing. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and China’s State Councilor Liu Yandong co-chaired the plenary session May 4. The two sides reaffirmed the importance of people-to-people exchanges in building a U.S.-China cooperative partnership and agreed to promote the sustainable development and institutionalization of the CPE.
The United States and China agreed to continue ongoing CPE achievements including the U.S. 100,000 Strong Initiative and China’s three 10,000 scholarship programs, the U.S.-China Young Scientists Forum, the East Asia Pacific Summer Institutes for U.S. science students, renewal of the U.S.-China Cultural Implementing Accord, the U.S.-China Women Leadership Exchange and Dialogue (Women-LEAD), and the U.S.-China Young Leaders Exchange.
During the 3rd CPE, both sides pledged to adopt new, concrete measures to expand cooperation in the areas of education, science and technology, culture, sports, women’s issues, including, but not limited to, the following programs:
On education, the delegates held the U.S.-China Provincial/State Educational Leaders Dialogue, welcomed expansion of the U.S.-China Fulbright program, promoted educational experts exchange through the U.S.-China Educational Development Forum, and announced cooperation between educational institutions on new programs such as community college exchanges and China Study Fellowships.
On science and technology, the two sides announced a Young Scientist Voluntary Visitor Program to the United States.
On culture, the two sides agreed to continue collaboration in arts exchanges, including sharing expertise in museum and arts management and forging partnerships among cultural institutions. In the area of youth exchange, the two sides will continue to expand exchange programs between U.S. and Chinese young politicians and student leaders and encourage young people of the two countries, especially young professionals, to increase understanding of each other’s country through field study, peer-to-peer learning, mentorship, and engaging in dialogue and communication.
On sports, the two sides will continue robust sports exchanges, including ongoing cooperation between the Olympic committees of both countries and specific sports associations, with an emphasis on women’s sports and community sports exchanges.
On women’s issues, the two sides held the fourth round of Women-LEAD, addressing the topic of women and philanthropy; advanced their public-private partnership in raising breast cancer awareness; and agreed to explore further exchanges on women’s issues and sustainable development and encouraging the next generation of young women leaders.
The United States and China celebrate the shared accomplishments of the CPE over the last three years and look forward to strengthening the dialogue by continuing efforts to expand exchanges in the future.
