Chinese Vice-Premier Li Lanqing met Wednesday with 1957 Nobel physics laureate Lee Tsung Dao and other scholars attending a Sino-US physics workshop in Beijing.

The meeting took place after both attended the opening ceremony of the workshop at the Peking University, with the theme of "Physics in the 21st century and China's development".

The workshop was held to mark the 20th anniversary of a Sino-US physics graduate exchange program advocated by Chinese-American Lee with the personal support of late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping.

Vice-Premier Li commended the program for its contribution to China's economic, scientific and educational development.

He pledged that the government would continue to extend its encouragement and support to overseas Chinese students.

Li also briefed the scholars on the latest economic and social developments in China.

(People's Daily June 6, 2002)