Xiplomacy: Xi's New Year cards cement friendship between Chinese, Americans

习式外交：习主席的新年贺卡巩固了中美间友谊

"People-to-people exchanges -- direct communications between Chinese people and their foreign counterparts in all walks of life -- form part of the foundation of President Xi's international way of thinking," Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, told Xinhua.

库恩基金会主席Robert Lawrence Kuhn（罗伯特 劳伦斯 库恩）告诉新华社：“人与人之间的交流--各行各业的中国人民和外国人民的直接交流构成了习主席国际思维方式的基础部分。”

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- "I felt extremely grateful when I received the greeting card from President Xi," said Brian Suy, an 11th grader from the Lincoln High School in the U.S. state of Washington.

Brian Suy（布莱恩 苏），在美国华盛顿州的林肯高中上11年级的学生说道：“当我收到来自习主席的问候贺卡时，感觉非常兴奋。”

On Jan. 1, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, replied to a New Year card from representatives of middle school teachers and students from Washington state.

今年的1月1日，中国国家主席习近平及其夫人彭丽媛回复了来自华盛顿州的一所中学师生代表们的新年贺卡。

In their reply card, the couple expressed their hope that the youth of China and the United States will continue to participate in China's initiative of inviting 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programs in a five-year span.

夫妇俩在回复的贺卡中表示，希望中国的青年们和美国的青年们将继续参加邀请五万名美国青年来华的中国倡议，来完成五年期的学习交流项目。

Earlier, the U.S.-China Youth and Student Exchange Association, as well as representatives of teachers and students from Lincoln High School and Stadium High School, who have visited China through the initiative, sent a New Year card to Xi, Peng and the Chinese people.

早前，美中年轻人和学生交流协会以及已经通过该倡议参观过中国的来自林肯高中和体育高中的师生代表们给习主席及其夫人，还有中国人民寄来了新年贺卡。

"I am willing to be a successor to keep the relations of the people of China and America strong and close," Suy told Xinhua. "I believe that the world will ultimately be a better place if future generations strengthen these connections."

苏对新华社说：“我很愿意成为传承者，将中美两国人民的关系更紧密，更坚定地延续下去。我相信，如果未来世世代代的人们能加强这种联系的话，世界一定会变得更美好。”