Former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley is co-chairman of the program.
"We can lose what happened in the last century and rebuild the future of our country in China as leaders of the world to benefit the world, and that's what this ambassadors program is going to do," said Daley.
The students will be hosted by the Wanxiang Corporation, which has its American headquarters in Elgin.
The students will spend six weeks in China, where they will study Chinese language, culture and the development of green energy technologies.