"China-U.S. science and technology cooperation has been highly mutually beneficial, not just for both countries, but for the entire world," said Denis Simon, senior fellow at the Washington-based think tank Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

The future of U.S.-China relations rests on young people — playing together, studying together, building trust together, he said.

Simon was speaking at the Symposium on the Future of China-U.S. Relations hosted by Opinion Channel of China Daily, Institute of American Studies of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Chinese Association of American Studies, in Beijing on Thursday.