The 580,000 Chinese students going abroad for study since reform and opening-up over two decades ago are precious wealth for China, said Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing Tuesday.

These students should inherit the fine traditions of the older generation of Chinese students studying overseas, and carry forward patriotism and hard-working, daring and pioneering spirit and integrate their personal ideals with the motherland's future and destiny.

Hu, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks while meeting with delegates to a conference commending outstanding returned overseas students.

Approximately 160,000 Chinese students returned home after their study abroad, Hu said, acknowledging that they have made splendid contributions for China's prosperity and development.

The CPC Central Committee always attaches great importance to the Chinese students studying abroad, he said, and the construction of the "Xiaokang" (a relatively prosperous) society in an all-round way offers lots of valuable opportunities for students abroad and also sounds a new call to them to return to work for the service of the motherland.

CPC committees and governments at all levels should keep improving their policies and measures with regard to these returned students in a bid to build a still better environment for their work and development, and to enable them to score more achievements and give scope to their enthusiasm and creativeness, the president said.

(Xinhua News Agency October 1, 2003)