A foreign student graduating from one of China's universities. (Photo : studyinchina.universiablogs.net)
Chinese Ministry of Education recent statistics show that China reigns as the third top choice of foreign students worldwide, with 370,000 students from 203 countries, of which 60 percent are from Asia.
According to statistics, there are 225,490 students from neighboring Asian countries who chose to study in China in 2014.
But despite the vast number of Asian students in the country, the increase of their arrival per year is slowing down, the Global Times reported.
In fact, 2014 has the lowest recorded arrival of new Asian students since 2005, with only a 2.58-percent addition.
On the other hand, as Asian students dominate the population, the number of learners from developed countries has decreased.
According to Chen Zhiwen, chief editor of eol.cn, one of China's most prominent educational websites, "there are a few trends worth paying attention to."
As many people think that China should concentrate in attracting students from developed countries, Chen suggested that the country should focus more on attracting students from neighboring Asian countries since they are easier to attract.
China's University and College Admission System (CUCAS), an online application service for international students who want to study in China, did a survey that showed that 90 percent of students would choose a course taught in English, the Global Times reported.
However, these courses are only available at 15 percent of colleges and universities in China.
The main factor why foreign students are limited is that most of the schools teach in Putonghua, official language of both China and Taiwan, said Hong Chengwen, a professor at the Institute of Higher Education at Beijing Normal University.
Chen, on the other hand, stated that to improve educational services, institutions should improve teaching quality in Chinese and English classes as well as reinforce the training of teachers and enhance the management system.
