Will.i.am, U.S. State Dept. to Back Beijing Concert

BEIJING -- The Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am is heading back to China in support of the Obama Administration's 100,000 Strong initiative, designed to boost the number of American students studying in the Asian country, for a concert announced for later this year. 

The U.S. State Dept. said that following a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, will.i.am agreed to perform at and help promote the show, for which no date has yet been given. The concert is being organized by Americans Promoting Study Abroad, a U.S. nonprofit organization that sponsors low-income students to study Chinese language and culture in China. Clinton and will.i.am met on July 29 in Washington, according to the State Dept.

The concert would be will.i.am's third official performance in China, having played here with the Black Eyed Peas twice, in 2006 and again in 2009.

The 100,000 Strong Initiative was launched by the Obama Adminstration, in partial cooperation with the Chinese government, in response to Chinese students studying in the U.S. outnumbering Americans students in China by 10 to one. The public-private partnership has so far attracted $7 million in funding.