The 100,000 Strong Foundation, set up to enhance relations between the US and China, has this week rebranded to become the US-China Strong Foundation.
Announced at the seventh annual US-China Consultation on People-to-People Exchange in Beijing, the rebrand will reflect its mission to include both language learning and study abroad.
In keeping with its current initiatives, more focus is now being placed on “investing in a new generation of China-savvy Americans, from kindergarten to the workforce”, according to the Foundation.
“This is an exciting new chapter for the Foundation – one that will allow us to work even more effectively with our US and Chinese stakeholders”
“We are thrilled to rebrand as the US-China Strong Foundation to reflect our evolving and expanding mission,” said Carola McGiffert, CEO of US-China Strong.
“This is an exciting new chapter for the foundation – one that will allow us to work even more effectively with our US and Chinese stakeholders – from our youngest students to most senior political leaders – to deepen and enhance US-China ties.”
The foundation was established as an independent non-profit in 2013, focused on increasing the number of US students studying abroad in China. The 100,000 Strong Initiative reached its initial goal of seeing 100,000 US students study in the country, in 2014.
Since then, the Foundation has expanded to incorporate Mandarin language learning.
During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the US last year, President Obama announced the formation of the 1 Million Strong initiative, which aims to increase the number of Americans learning Mandarin to one million by 2020– five times the current number of students learning Mandarin in the US.
The initiatives will remain incorporated within the Foundation following the rebrand.