BEIJING, May 3 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-China Student Exchange Forum was held Thursday in Beijing, with over 200 attendees discussing the promotion of student exchange programs between the two countries.

Students from both countries attended the forum and discussed a variety of topics, including expanding the influence of student exchange programs and deepening friendship between the people of both nations.

Hao Ping, vice minister of education, described the event as an "important activity to advance cultural cooperation and increase understanding and inclusiveness" while addressing the forum.

Tara Sonenshine, U.S. under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, said in a speech at the forum that the U.S. is willing to work with China to promote exchanges between students in both countries.

During the second annual China-U.S. Consultation on People-to-People Exchange, China announced that it would send 10,000 Ph.D candidates to the U.S. on Chinese government scholarships, implement the "Chinese Bridge" study program for 10,000 U.S. citizens in China and provide scholarships to 10,000 U.S. college students to study in China.

As of 2011, 4,363 Chinese postgraduates had participated in Ph.D. programs in the United States, while "Chinese Bridge" scholarships have allowed 7,110 U.S. nationals to study in China, according to the Ministry of Education.