More students from Belt and Road countries studying in China

As the Belt and Road Initiative continues to progress, Chinese universities are increasing and deepening their cooperative efforts with other countries. As a result, a growing number of students from Belt and Road countries are studying in China.

In 2017, according to statistics from the Chinese Ministry of Education, a large number of students from 204 countries and regions were studying at 935 institutions of higher learning in 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions across China.

The number of master’s degree candidates and doctoral students was approximately 75,800, an 18.62 percent increase over 2016. Meanwhile, the number of students from Belt and Road countries was 317,200, accounting for 64.85 percent of all international students studying in China. This represents an 11.58 percent increase year-on-year—a number higher than the average growth rate of other countries.

In recent years, Chinese government scholarships have played an important role in attracting students from neighbouring countries and other Belt and Road nations. Now, Chinese government scholarship students from Belt and Road countries account for 61 percent of all international students in China, up 8.4 percent over 2012.

Editor: Wang Shixue