Youthful reflections and 2024 aspirations

Anna Yuschenko, a Russian student at Tsinghua University, selected the phrase "partners & relatives" for 2023. "I believe that Chinese people truly appreciate Russian culture, and we Russians also have a fondness for Chinese culture. We just support each other," she said. "I feel like we're not just friends. We're like relatives."

Yuschenko also recalled some online videos depicting the China-Russia border. In these videos, thanks to the visa-free policy, many Russian residents are seen enjoying breakfast and indulging in steamed buns with beer in the morning market at Chinese border city Heihe in Heilongjiang province. "Now, you don't need a visa to travel in Russia, and Russians don't need a visa to travel in China for two weeks, which I think is really convenient," she said. "We are like a family from two neighboring countries."

At the conclusion of the program, the young guests also selected their keywords for the new year of 2024. The chosen words and phrases included "inclusivity", "economic boom and peace", "love and respect", "communication", and "interdependence", among others, embodying their well-wishes for China and the world in the new year.

"All of the keywords that we've shown here for our expectations for 2024 are all connected in one way or another," said Dylan Austin Walker, the host of this episode of Youth Power. "We can see what we should do as youth in order to realize these expectations and aspirations in the new year and the years beyond."