President Xi Jinping has encouraged international students at Nanjing Audit University to gain more knowledge and better understanding of China and contribute to promoting friendship and cooperation among countries.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remark on Tuesday in a letter replying to international students who are pursuing a master's degree in auditing at the university in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province.

Thirty-seven international students at the university wrote to him recently, sharing their experiences of studying in China. They told Xi that they would keep in mind their experiences in China, cherish their emotional connections with China forever, and strive to act as ambassadors in enhancing friendship between China and their own countries.

In his reply letter, the president said he was happy to learn that the students have gained professional knowledge and deepened their understanding of the nation's auditing system, socialism with Chinese characteristics and the CPC, through in-house learning and field visits, while studying in China.

Xi pointed out that China attaches great importance to the role of auditing in governance of the country. After years of exploration, China has established a socialist auditing system with Chinese characteristics and formed a centralized, comprehensive and efficient auditing supervision system, he said.

Xi expressed hope that the students will strengthen exchanges and mutual learning with their Chinese counterparts, understand China and actively contribute to deepening friendship and cooperation between China and other countries.

Nanjing Audit University's master's program in auditing, established in 2016, has trained more than 280 professionals for auditing institutions in 76 countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.