On July 29, 2011, Grammy Award-winner and former Black Eyed Pea, will.i.am met with Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton with regard to Obama's recent 100,000 Strong Initiative. The goal of the President's initiative is to ultimately see an increase in educational and cultural exchanges between the U.S. and China, via study abroad programs in China. To highlight the importance of stronger educational ties between the U.S. and China, the musician has agreed to direct a benefit concert in Beijing later this year to support and advance the initiative.

In a statement from will.i.am. the musician said, “In order to become responsible global citizens, young people need to experience the world around them. Kids from underserved communities rarely have the opportunity to study and travel abroad, and we want to change that. We must make sure that American students have the cultural awareness and skills necessary to succeed in a global economy.”

The concert, while promoting the 100,000 Strong Initiative, will be in celebration of the educational and cultural exchanges between the U.S. and China with performances by will.i.am. as well as other American and Chinese artists.

To read the entire press release, visit the website of the U.S. State Department.