On December 1, the Consulate General of China in Chicago held a new book launch of "YES Friends" Club and China-US Inter-school MOU Signing Ceremony. Consul General Wang Baodong attended and addressed the event, which was joined by over 100 participants including young authors of the new book and their parents, teachers, school leaders from related U.S. primary and secondary schools, and members of the China-U.S. 1000 Schools Hands Together Program.

In his address, Consul General Wang spoke about China-U.S. relations and the major achievements of the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, encouraging more American youth to participate in the important initiative of "inviting 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study over the next five years", to experience a real, multidimensional and ever progressing China. At the same time, he encouraged the schools in China and the U.S. to promote youth exchanges and interactions, expand in-depth school-to-school cooperation and cultivate future leaders with a cross-cultural perspective.

During the new book launch, Deputy Consul General Zhang Yiqi and Secretary-General Yang Jun, China Education Association for International Exchange, jointly unveiled the book titled West Meets East: 100 American Secondary School Students’ Tales About China, followed by 16 primary and secondary schools from China and the U.S. signing inter-school MOUs.