US Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Maura Harty said in Hong Kong Monday that 98 percent of Hong Kong student applicants got the visa to study in America last year.

Speaking at a meeting attended by a group of university students in Hong Kong, Harty said that Chinese students are most welcome to study in America. In 2006, most students in Hong Kong were successful in applying a visa to study in America, she added.

Harty mentioned that studying abroad can help form a strong bond between nations. Hong Kong students get academic training in America, they can, at the same time, help American people to understand Hong Kong better, she said.

According to Harty, there are about 62,000 Chinese students currently studying in America and she expressed hope that there can be more.

(Xinhua News Agency February 13, 2007)