YLFers enjoying some outdoor time

2013 YLFers engage in a team-building activity

Fellow presentations during the 2014 Forum

With U.S.-China relations taking on increasing importance in all spheres of life – economic, geopolitical, cultural – it becomes ever more vital to seek out opportunities that will enhance the dialogue between our countries and build lasting ties between our peoples.

The Young Leaders Forum (YLF), now in its second decade, provides an excellent opportunity to do just that. Each year, YLF holds a 3½-day retreat to which a select group of exceptional American and Chinese young professionals are invited. Together, participants explore substantive issues and develop enduring friendships in a casual, intimate environment.

The 2014 Forum took place in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, and had a theme of "(Re)Defining Moments." Fellows discussed some of the critical thresholds they’ve reached and crossed – sometimes knowingly, sometimes unwittingly – that have had profound impacts on what has followed for them.

YLF Fellows come from a variety of fields. Fellows include government officials and politicians, authors, university leaders, entrepreneurs, and musicians and artists. Attention is given to geographic, gender, and ethnic diversity.

See a roster of Fellows who attended the 2014 Forum.

Please look inside the "Members" drawer at right for an alphabetical listing of all YLF participants since the program's inception.

The National Committee, the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA), and the Forum's sponsors – led this year by XCoal, along with KKR, and Amgen – cover all lodging, food, and program costs of the YLF retreat, which alternate between a U.S. and China locale. Participants are asked to pay their own travel expenses to and from the venue, but some full or partial subsidies are available.