In a speech made at Southeast University in Nanjing yesterday, Nobel Prize winner Yang Zhenning (Yang Chen-ning) said Chinese universities contribute a lot more to the country compared to universities in the US.

Yang said appraising the success of a school is based on contributions to undergraduate education and society, where Chinese universities do well. However, contributions to postgraduate education, where China needs improvement, have to be taken into account as well.

Yang is positive Chinese universities play an imporant role in training talents for China's development. China currently has a high demand for talent in many fields. The development of the US is stable, so the importance of universities is not comparable with Chinese universities.

Replying to a question from students asking why China has not had a homegrown Nobel Prize winner , Yang said, "I absolutely don't agree with the saying Chinese education is going in the wrong direction. It's not right to ask why Tsinghua and Peking University have no Nobel Prize winners given the government's investments. In fact, compared to the US, investments by China still lag behind. It takes time for researchers to do their jobs. China has had a weak beginning, but I believe the country will make it in the end."