The number of overseas students in China has continued to rise as the country's reputation for higher education receives more international acclaim, officials with the Ministry of Education said.

More than 100,000 Chinese students study abroad annually, ranking it the top country in the world with students heading overseas. Latest statistics from the ministry indicate that China received more than 162,000 students from 185 countries and regions last year. The number was triple that of 2000.

Ninety-four percent of them were self-supporting and the rest had government scholarships.

"China's educational sector has made remarkable progress, especially in teaching quality and methods," Cao Guoxing, director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Department under the ministry, told China Daily.

The government has signed agreements with 30 countries and regions on mutual recognition of academic certificates and degrees.

China has huge potential to further develop this sector because international education cooperation has been expanded in recent years, officials said.

The annual China Education Expo, which will start in Beijing later this month, also has many student exchange programs.

The increase in overseas students studying in China can also be attributed to the country's continuous economic growth over the past few years, coupled with reforms by a number of leading universities on their acceptance systems.

Last year, 77 percent of overseas students were from Asia, 10 percent each from the Americas and Europe, 2 percent from Africa and 1 percent from Oceania.

The top five source countries of foreign students in China are South Korea, Japan, the United States, Indonesia and Viet Nam, statistics showed.

Chinese literature and traditional Chinese medicine are the most popular subjects for overseas students.

More than 98,700 students chose to major in Chinese culture and 20,000 enrolled in medicine courses.

"Management and services have been improved to guarantee foreign students' safety on campus, such as helping them apply for life insurance in case of accidents," Zhao Weimin, a teacher with the Beijing Language and Culture University, said.

(China Daily October 12, 2007)