With the quick rise of China's economic power, the country is becoming a popular higher-education destination for Thai students, the Nation newspaper reported Wednesday.

"The number of Thai students studying in Chinese universities has grown six- or seven-fold within the past few years," Tekhua Pung, director of a local Chinese-language teaching school, was quoted as saying.

At the Beijing Language and Culture University, one of the most famous language institutes for foreign students in China, there are nearly 300 Thai students studying Chinese in full-time course alone, according to the report.

Apart from language study, a number of Thai students are taking undergraduate and graduate courses in acupuncture, medicine, business and other fields at Chinese universities, it said.

Analysts said key factors that make Chinese universities increasingly attractive to Thai students include China's growing economic might, good education quality, and low tuition and living expenditure.

(People's Daily February 21, 2002)