China awards outstanding overseas students in midwest U.S.

CHICAGO, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Two dozen Chinese doctorate students from nine universities in midwest United States on Friday received an annual Chinese government award for self-financed students studying abroad.

At the award-giving ceremony, Zhao Weiping, Chinese consul general in Chicago, said Chinese students studying abroad have contributed to China's development in the past 30 years.

Zhao encouraged them to serve their motherland in various ways, and to enhance the friendship between China and the United States.

Joseph Walsh, vice president for research of Northwestern University, said his university is impressed with Chinese students' hard work and dedication

Some 2.6 million Chinese students had pursued their studies abroad since the country opened up to the outside world in 1978. In 2012 alone, 399,600 Chinese students were studying abroad and more than 90 percent of them were self-financed, according to official figures.

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