The number of overseas students in China hit a record high of
110,844, of which 6,715 were sponsored by the Chinese government,
the rest studying at their own expense, sources with the Chinese
Ministry of Education (MOE) said Friday.
According to the MOE statistics, overseas students from 178
countries studied in 420 Chinese colleges and universities
nationwide in 2004. The total number of overseas students increased
by 42.63 percent over the previous year, and the amplitude was
ranked the highest over the past ten years.
A MOE official said China has seen rapid progress in overseas
students education thanks to the persistent policies of and
specific financial support by the government. As more and more
countries have reached agreements with China on mutually
recognizing higher education degrees, more foreigners have chosen
to study in China, largely because of its economic power and
growing international influence. In 2004 alone, the government of
Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam gave financial support to more than
200 students to study in China, in a view to cultivate professional
personnel for further contact with China.
The official said the number of students from Republic of Korea
(ROK) ranked first for a consecutive five years due to the fast
growth of China-ROK economic cooperation, which has brought
abundant job opportunities.
The Chinese government and schools also have drawn education
plans and set up certain scholarships for overseas students. The
careful and appropriate arrangements made for overseas students by
the Chinese government when Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(SARS) hit in 2003 has also encouraged more students from abroad,
he said.
Education and life services to overseas students in China has
also been improved, said the official. In 2004, the first seven
students from Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Pakistan and Japan
earned doctoral degrees under the guidance of Chinese academicians.
So far, nearly 20,000 overseas students in China have used the
medical insurance especially set up for them by the Chinese
government.
(Xinhua News Agency May 22, 2005)
