The students of Yale University are very interested in Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to the university on Friday and they are looking forward to his speech, Yale's President Richard C. Levin said on Monday.

"It's an honor for Yale to be chosen by President Hu for a visit," Levin told a group of Chinese journalists.

Hu is scheduled to visit the United States on April 18-21, and make a speech at Yale University on April 21.

Levin said the Chinese president's planned visit to Yale symbolizes the importance President Hu, the Chinese government and the Chinese people attach to education.

"We hope and believe that this is an affirmation of the dynamic and active relationship that we have formed with many universities, governmental and nongovernmental organizations throughout China," he said.

Yale has conducted many active programs, such as student exchanges, research collaborations, and educational programs with Chinese institutions, Levin said. "Among American universities, Yale is surely one of the most ambitious in terms of creating opportunities for interchange with China," he noted.

Hoping the two countries to conduct dialogues, establish a partnership and develop friendly ties, Levin believed President Hu's visit would enhance the mutual trust between the two sides.

Yung Wing, a native of Guangdong province, was enrolled as a student at Yale in 1850 and graduated from the university four years later, becoming the first Chinese to earn a degree from an American college or university.

In recent years, Yale's collaboration and cooperation in scientific research and education with China have expanded and strengthened, and more students in Yale have chosen to take Chinese language courses, Levin said.

As the hall in which Hu is going to give his speech has a limited capacity, only a small number of students will be invited to listen to the speech in the hall, such as students taking China-related programs. The majority of students will be watching the Chinese president's speech on campus TV, he said.

Courtney, a graduate student majoring in artistry, said she was very interested in the Chinese president's visit to Yale. She wanted to listen to Hu's speech, but was not able to get a ticket. However, she said, her name was already on the "waiting list."

After President Hu's speech, a panel on China will be held in the afternoon, with several prominent China experts attending and discussing China-related topics with Yale's students, Levin said.

Currently there are about 300 Chinese students studying for various degrees and over 300 visiting scholars from China at Yale University, which was founded in 1701, according to figures provided by Yale University.

Source: Xinhua