Elders Maxwell and Nelson Visit China

At the invitation of China’s vice premier, Elder Neal A. Maxwell and Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recently visited the country, enjoying the hospitality of government officials and speaking of Church efforts to serve the Chinese people.

Elders Maxwell and Nelson were accompanied by their wives, Colleen Maxwell and Dantzel Nelson; Elder John K. Carmack of the Seventy, Asia Area president; Elder Kwok Yuen Tai of the Seventy, first counselor in the Asia Area presidency; Hui Hua Tai, Elder Tai’s wife; and other Church representatives. The group was greeted in the Diaoyuta State Guest House in Beijing, China, by Vice Premier Li Lanqing, one of four prime ministers of the People’s Republic of China; President Qi Huaiyuan, president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; and Li Xiaolin of that same group.

During their mid-February meeting, Elder Nelson spoke of the work he and other doctors had done in the country and of relationships that had been established providing advanced education for Chinese medical specialists.

The vice premier acknowledged that work and spoke of the importance of education, indicating that appropriate assistance from the Church would be welcomed at all levels of educational endeavors. Vice Premier Li specifically mentioned Latter-day Saints who volunteer to teach English or serve in professional fields, especially vocational education and community colleges.

In a later meeting, the country’s vice director of the State Education Commission, Zhang Xiaowen, echoed the desire for English teachers in the country’s universities.

Mention of Brigham Young University’s performing groups was also made in the meetings. Later Elder Maxwell noted that contacts between the Church university and the Chinese leaders and people have been warm, “further establishing our genuine friendship with the Chinese people, especially as we explore other ways where additional service may be appropriately rendered.”

The visit was planned after Vice Premier Li visited the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii last year and invited Church officials to visit China.