An international student graduates from a Chinese university, one among thousands who self-finance their study. (Photo : www.salamchina.com)
The government is set to launch a new scholarship program for students coming from countries involved in the country’s Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, the Beijing Times reported.
China's Ministry of Education confirmed the plan on the new scholarship program on March 24, Tuesday.
"We are negotiating with the Ministry of Finance on establishing scholarship programs under the (One Belt and One Road) plan to provide more support to students from those countries," Tian Lulu, an official in the Education Ministry's Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, was quoted as saying during an international forum held in Beijing.
The report said that issues such as policies, problems and solutions in recruiting and managing international students were discussed in the said forum, which was organized by the China Education Association for International Exchanges.
Tian said that they have not finalized the design of the scholarship programs and did not provide details. She said that the ministry will draw up new policies based on information such as the major sources of international students in China.
"The number of students from some countries, such as South Korea, Japan and the United States, remains stable or has started to drop. But some neighboring countries, including India and Pakistan, are becoming emerging sources for international students in China," Tian said.
The Education Ministry cited Pakistan, the eighth-largest source of international students in China, with 13,360 students coming to study last year, which was the 10th largest in 2013, prior to President Xi Jinping's launching of the "One Belt and One Road" plan.
The number of students coming from India also increased from 11,781 in 2013 to 13,578 last year, making India the seventh-largest source of China's international students, the Beijing Times reported.
"Against such a backdrop, we are considering providing more preferential policies to some border provinces and regions to help schools and other educational institutions recruit and accept more students from neighboring countries," Tian added.
Chen Zhiwen, editor-in-chief of eol.cn, China's largest education portal, said that international students are attracted to study in China due to economic reasons, and the country can expect more students from other countries to come with the implementation of the "One Belt, One Road" plan.
