Harvard University's syllabus and the subjects its students choose for their dissertation and research reflect the level of its interest in China, a senior official of the university said over the weekend.

Fifty-four of its professors teach or conduct research on China, said Jorge Dominguez, vice-provost of International Affairs of Harvard University during his visit to Beijing.

"The number almost equals the number of professors who work on West Europe," said Dominguez, who is also the Antonio Madero Professor of Mexican and Latin American Politics and Economics.

As the university's "foreign minister", Dominguez's mission to China includes meeting with alumni and academics, and visiting Harvard faculties' projects in the country.

He visited a Harvard summer school that teaches Chinese language at the Beijing Language and Culture University. The program, which began three years ago, has taught 84 students from the US. Forty of those students are from Harvard.

Learning Chinese has become very popular among Harvard undergraduates and graduates, the vice-provost said. For instance, 150 Harvard undergraduates are either studying or conducting research or doing their internship in China at present.

Harvard is among the rising number of top US universities today that are interested in China.

Last month, at the invitation of President Hu Jintao, 100 faculty members and students of Yale University, another Ivy League university, visited China. Also, it was the largest contingent from a US university to visit the country.

On the hand, 600 Chinese students and scholars are studying and working at Yale.

Harvard expects to have Drew Faust - its first female president - to visit China in a year, Dominguez said.

Given the value Harvard's faculties and students attach to China, it should be easy to persuade the president to do so, he said.

The number of Chinese students in Harvard has increased in the past few years, indicating its willingness to welcome students from the country, he said.

The number of Chinese students grew from 19 in 1992 to 312 in 2002, with their present number being 403.

Asked what should be the right number of Chinese students at Harvard, he said: "I don't have the answer for numbers. I have an answer that is a word. The word is 'more'. Tell them to apply."