Visiting US President George W. Bush stressed the importance of academic, students and other personnel exchanges to promote understanding and relations between the United States and China.
He made the remark Friday in response to a question in a speech session at the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing.
When asked by a female student if Bush would like his twin daughters to study in Tsinghua, which Bush said has a high reputation in the world in his speech, the president joked: "I'm afraid they don't listen to me any more."
He then said that he does hope they will come here. "They will benefit from coming here, as will a lot of other United States students," he said.
Bush stressed the importance of students exchange programs, adding that the United States will welcome more Chinese students to study in the United States.
The president also stressed the value of family, noting that both countries share the strong tradition of honoring the family.
"When students get to know each other, they learn about the universality of many values, and that's going to be important for peace in the world," Bush said.
(Xinhua News Agency February 22, 2002)
