Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong (central L) and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (central R) attend the second round of high-level consultation meeting on people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, April 12, 2011. [Zhang Jun/Xinhua]

Visiting Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong announced in Washington on Tuesday an additional 10,000 scholarships for Americans to study in China.

The announcement was made during the second meeting of the China-U.S. high-level consultation on people-to-people exchange held in Washington.

The new scholarships are made in addition to the pledge by the Chinese government last year of 10,000 "Bridge Scholarships" for American students to study in China.

Realizing the strategic importance of the U.S.-China relationship, the U.S. government has called for more Americans to study in China.

In November 2009, during his visit to China, U.S. President Barack Obama announced the "100,000 Strong" initiative, a national effort designed to increase dramatically the number of American students studying in China.