President Xi Jinping called for more people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States on Monday as he received visiting Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust for the second time in seven years.

Calling such exchanges a key pillar of the Sino-US relationship in the new era, Xi said China makes education a priority and attaches great importance to exchanges and cooperation with the US in the education, science and technology sectors.

Xi called for closer ties between the nations' universities, adding that he would like to discuss the buildup of the new type of relationship between major countries during his visit to the US in September.

Faust, the first female president in Harvard history, said the university has established long-term cooperation with China and is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in education and science sectors.

Sino-US cooperation in education has played a role in improving public understanding and in the development of the relationship, she said.

Harvard, one of the world's most prestigious universities, has long had relations with leading Chinese institutions, including Peking University and Fudan University.

Faust was scheduled to give a speech at Tsinghua University, Xi's alma mater, on Tuesday.