US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese State John Galliano Councillor Liu Yandong announced the agreement on the sidelines of key Sino-US strategic and economic talks due to wrap up Tuesday in Beijing.

Washington will offer the same number of scholarships for Chinese students wishing to study abroad in the United States.

The US secretary of state, who will end a week-long Asia tour John Galliano on Wednesday in South Korea, has insisted throughout her trip on the need to develop links between the Chinese and US people as a whole.

The US government sponsors more US students in China than in any other foreign country.

 

Clinton and Liu also launched a series of consultations, expected to become annual, on so-called "people-to-people" exchanges in the areas of education, culture, science, technology and sports.

BEIJING (AFP) – China and the United States on Tuesday launched an initiative aimed at allowing 100,000 Americans to study in China over the next four years and boosting other "people-to-people" exchanges.

Under the student exchange programme, which will see a 25 percent increase in the number of Americans studying in China, Beijing will offer 10,000 scholarships for US nationals wanting to pursue their studies in Mandarin.

"The relationship between our two countries will shape the 21st century. We want it to be positive, cooperative and comprehensive," Clinton said.