国内英语新闻:Chinese, U.S. presidents send messages to NSO's China tour

BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and U.S. President Barack Obama sent messages respectively to the United States' National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Thursday, wishing its performance in China a success.

    "I am pleased to extend my warm welcome to all the visiting artists from the United States," Hu said in the message. He recalled the NSO's first visit to China in 1999, saying it "left a beautiful impression to the Chinese audience."

    Hu hailed the Symphony's second visit to China at the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China-U.S. diplomatic relations. He said music can help to "refine sentiment of humankind and promote communication between people's hearts of different countries."

    "I believe that music from across the Pacific Ocean will enhance the mutual understanding between our two peoples and certainly write a new chapter in the long run of friendship between us," Hu said.

    He also wished the performances of the NSO a great success.

    In his message, Obama extended a heartfelt welcome to all those attending this performance of the NSO as it tours the People's Republic of China for the second time.

    "Music has been called a universal language, " said Obama. "It has the potential to build inter-cultural bridges, forge new relationships among peoples and nations, strengthen our understanding of history and tradition, and enrich our lives and our communities."

    "I believe that rich cultural and artistic exchanges like this one will help bring our peoples and our nations closer together," Obama stressed.

    The NSO, founded in 1931, is an American symphony orchestra that regularly participates in events of national and international importance, including performances for ceremonial state affairs, presidential inaugurations and official holiday celebrations.

    The orchestra came to China at the invitation of the Ministry of Culture. It plans to give a series of concerts in Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai and perform the renowned works of Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky and Wagner for the Chinese audience.