First-Ever US-China Student Summit Brings 400 Students Together in Beijing

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The first-ever US-China Student Summit was held this weekend, bringing together nearly 400 university-age students from the US and China with a goal of strengthening long-term ties between the two nations.

The students, nearly 200 from the US and 200 from China, met for two days at Peking University and Tsinghua University Affiliated High School in Beijing to learn about each other's countries, the importance of the US-China relationship and the role they can play as global leaders. The summit was organized by WorldStrides, the largest US student travel organization and the exclusive educational travel partner of the 100,000 Strong Foundation.

"The friendships and cross-cultural understanding these students form today will pay dividends long into the future," said Carola McGiffert, president of the 100K Strong Foundation. "The US-China relationship is the most important relationship of the 21^st century. We must ensure that our next generation of leaders – including the students participating in the Summit – have the skills to compete, collaborate and succeed in a global economy; this means understanding China."

As part of the Summit, students met with top Chinese and US government officials, academic administrators, professors, and cultural leaders. Such leaders included Max Baucus (U.S. Ambassador to China), Li Yansong (Vice President of Peking University), Travis Tanner (100,000 Strong Foundation), and Dr. Jia Qingguo (Dean of Peking University School of International Studies).

On the first day, students participated in interactive group activities, including discussions about each of their cultures and the meaning of leadership and global citizenship, and developed advertisements promoting the importance of the US-China relationship. On day two, the students participated in an interactive, collaborative, creative final teambuilding project that synthesized the overall themes and content of the Summit.

"We're thrilled that so many students participated in this fantastic cultural exchange opportunity," said WorldStrides CEO Jim Hall. "We're already hearing from delegations anxious to join for 2015 at the second annual summit in Shanghai and are excited to continue building off of our initial success."

The 100K Strong Foundation and WorldStrides' shared mission is to enhance the US-China relationship through study abroad and Mandarin language learning.   Together, they hope the Student Summit sparks greater interest among American students to travel to China and learn about the role they can play in strengthening ties between the two nations.

About the 100,000 Strong Foundation
Our mission is to strengthen US-China relations through Mandarin language learning and study abroad.  The Foundation is leading a national movement to ensure that the next generation of Americans is equipped to engage effectively with China.

The 100,00 Strong Foundation engages US and Chinese government, business and academic communities in our efforts to expand the number and diversity of Americans studying Mandarin and studying abroad in China.  We invest in strategic partnerships at the state and local level, and mobilize a robust group of student ambassadors to promote the Foundation's mission at the grassroots level. The 100,000 Strong Foundation is recognized as an organization of excellence and enjoys the strong support of U.S. and Chinese private and public sector partners.

For more information, visit www.100KStrong.org

About WorldStrides
WorldStrides is the United States' oldest and largest educational travel organization and an accredited educational travel school. Founded by a teacher in 1967, WorldStrides provides travel study opportunities for 300,000 students of all ages each year. WorldStrides partners with more than 200 universities annually to provide travel study opportunities to more than 90 countries around the world.

WorldStrides has more than 20 years of experience supporting students traveling to China, annually sending more than 2,200 people. With an office in China, a growing Chinese staff, and partnerships with the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the CEAIE, WorldStrides has a growing place in the Chinese educational community.

WorldStrides maintains its own academic accreditation as part of a rigorous process of approval from accreditation bodies authorized by the U.S. Department of Education. The organization also partners with U.S. universities to offer college credit opportunities for students.

For more information, visit www.WorldStrides.com.

SOURCE WorldStrides