US envoy urges more exchanges of people

United States Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns had a tight schedule last month, traveling extensively from Shenyang in the country's northeast to Hangzhou farther south, while in between back to Beijing to present his credentials to President Xi Jinping.

His advice to fellow Americans? Well, learn Chinese and bring more US students to China.

"I have only one personal goal," Burns said in an online discussion with the Stimson Center on Tuesday. "That is, we want to learn Mandarin," he said, adding that he has discussed this with his wife, Libby.