Xi’s Outreach to Young Americans Stumbles With Scripted Moments
- Weeklong event criticized for ignoring major tensions with US
- Chinese participants told to avoid talking on sensitive topics
Eight months after President Xi Jinping pledged to bring 50,000 US students to China to stabilize ties, Beijing has made its largest outreach yet. For some Americans, the most progress came in surprising moments outside the official program.
Groups affiliated with the Chinese government welcomed some 220 young Americans to a weeklong bonding festival in the southeastern province of Fujian last month. But while many US attendees said they were grateful to visit the world’s No. 2 economy, several criticized the youth festival as scripted and lacking open dialogue.