Terry Branstad (Photo/Chinanews.com)

United States Ambassador to China Terry Branstad published an article in Chinese newspaper China Youth Daily on Nov. 11, stating that the US welcomes Chinese students in American universities. In the article, he offered advice to Chinese students that have studied or plan to study in the US.

The article marks the second time that the US side has expressed this attitude towards Chinese students in as many months, after US President Donald Trump noted that "We want all the people that want to come over from China. We have the greatest university system in the world, and we're going to keep it that way," when meeting China's Vice Premier Liu He last month.

The president noted that the US is not going to "make it tough" for Chinese students, who will be treated just like everybody else.

Trump's remarks and Branstad's statement have no doubt sent a positive signal, which serves as an alleviation for past visa policies adopted by the US.

"It bears important significance in relieving tensions between the two countries in certain fields, and China welcomes it," China Youth Daily notes.

In the article, the US ambassador made two things clear. Firstly, US campuses welcome Chinese students, and secondly, that the US has made no change to the student visa policies.

Last year, 360,000 students in American educational institutions came from China, more than from any other country, which clearly showed that higher education in the US is open to Chinese students, Branstad said.

He noted that it is difficult to build bridges between two cultures, but it is worth the extra effort. He believes that those who choose to study in the US and integrate into American society will broaden their career prospects, contribute to China's sustainable development and reinforce China-US relations.