Hoyas to travel to China this summer

The Georgetown University men's basketball team will travel to Shanghai and Beijing this summer as part of a "people-to-people" exchange program between the U.S. and China geared toward strengthening ties between the countries.

The State Department said Tuesday the team will play exhibition games, attend cultural events and take part in community programs.

Virginia Commonwealth University will send soccer experts to Shanghai to run coaching and management clinics. Sports professionals from China will come to Eugene, Ore., for a program on disability-inclusive sports.

Tthe U.S. and Chinese Olympic Committees will exchange table tennis delegations to commemorate the 40th anniversary of ''pingpong diplomacy," when reciprocal visits by the U.S. and Chinese teams in the early 1970s helped pave the way for a historic visit to China by President Richard Nixon.