Chinese ambassador to the U.S. Qin Gang held a virtual meeting with the winners of the “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition on Saturday.

This year's global champion is Li Xiaoyu, a postgraduate student at Portland State University in the U.S. state of Oregon.

Ambassador Qin encouraged the students to continue the learning and to become cultural ambassadors despite current challenges in U.S.-China relations. 

Many students said that they are committed to bridging the cultural gap and reducing xenophobia caused by a lack of understanding. 

Many also said that studying Chinese has helped them learn more about Chinese people and culture.

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