Beijing  - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has urged Britain's Cambridge University not to expel a German student who threw a shoe at him during a speech at the university last week, China's foreign ministry said on Monday.

"Education is the best help for a young student," Wen said in a statement issued via Fu Ying, the Chinese ambassador to Britain.

"It is hoped the university will give the student an opportunity to continue his studies," Fu quoted Wen as saying in a statement posted on the ministry's website.

"As a Chinese saying goes, it is more precious than gold for a young person to turn around to redress mistakes," Wen said.

"It is hoped that this student will see his mistake and seek to understand a real and developing China," he said.

Martin Jahnke, 27, a graduate student at the university's pathology department, was charged with committing a public order offence and was due to appear at Cambridge Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.

The shoe was thrown at Wen, accompanied by shouts of "dictator," as he gave a speech on the global economy. Witnesses said the shoe landed about one metre away from Wen.

The incident "affected the image and reputation of Cambridge in China", Fu said, but the university had forwarded a letter of apology from Jahnke.

"From the words and actions of this student, it could be seen how he lacks knowledge about China," she added.

The protest was similar to an event in December when former US President George W Bush was forced to duck to avoid shoes thrown at him by an Iraqi journalist at a press conference in Baghdad. (dpa)