BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday extended congratulations to faculty, students, and alumni of Yunnan University as the university marks its 100th anniversary.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, sent a congratulatory letter to the university.

In his letter, Xi hailed Yunnan University's contribution in nurturing a large number of talent, promoting ethnic unity and progress, and facilitating regional economic growth and social development in the past century.

Xi expressed the expectation that the university can improve its educational performance on all fronts, help forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, and make new and greater contributions to building a country with great strength in education.

Yunnan University, which opened in 1923, is one of the earliest comprehensive universities established in China's western border areas. With over 300,000 alumni in different fields, the university has played an active role in promoting ethnic unity and progress, as well as prosperity and stability in China's border areas.