That will lead students to the “Middle Kingdom”. This is almost what Chinese Deputy Minister of Education Zhang Xinsheng meant in his press conference on 15 August 2008, in the middle of Beijing Summer Olympics.
China Daily quotes the Minister saying, "With a good social environment, fast economic growth and upgraded quality of education, China has become more attractive for foreign students", "more overseas students are opting for long-term, formal education in China in a wide range of subjects, from language and culture to science, engineering and medicine".
China currently ranks the 5th in terms of the number of foreign students. Only the U.S., the U.K., France and Germany host more. However, as at the Olympics, China seems headed towards the first position.
According to the Deputy Minister, the number of foreign students in China reached 195,000 last year, up 20 percent from 2006 and almost 5 times that of 1997. The Ministry intends to more than double this number to reach 500,000 foreign students by 2020 which will make China the leading international destination of higher education.
According to the Ministry, at present foreign students in China come from 188 countries and regions. South Korea, Japan, the U.S., Vietnam and Thailand are the top 5 source countries.
Multiple Initiatives & Incentives
The Chinese government has tried hard in recent years to make its higher education system more competitive in general, and more attractive to foreign students. Among many initiatives that have been undertaken, we can mention the followings:
Increased use of English as the medium of instruction
Increased partnerships with foreign institutions (joint degrees, branch campuses, etc.)
Improved quality of higher education
Improved living conditions and services offered to foreign students (housing, health insurance, etc.)
Increased diploma convertibility: The Ministry of Education has signed mutual diploma recognition agreements with 33 countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Russia.
Increased scholarships awarded to foreign students: According to Liu Jinghui, Secretary General of China Scholarship Council (China Daily of 29/07/2008), the government has increased both the number of students covered by scholarship schemes and the amount of scholarships. Currently, 5.2 percent of all foreign students at both under and postgraduate levels are offered government scholarships. The government plans to sponsor up to 20,000 foreign students in 2010 (twice as many as in 2007).
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