The number of foreign students in China is rapidly growing, according to Hao Ping, China’s vice-minister of Education, at a conference for the management of foreign students on Oct 31 in Beijing.

In 2015, nearly 400,000 foreign students from 202 countries or regions studied in China, a 50 percent increase compared with the year 2010. Students majoring in western medicine, engineering and science markedly grew in number over those years, increasing by more than 15 percent each year.

Hao pointed out that since 2010, Chinese government scholarships have constantly increased with a year-on-year growth of more than 11 percent.

Another achievement is that measures serving national strategy such as top-level talent training projects and specialized Belt and Road talent cultivation programs have attracted more foreign students.

Hao also emphasized that to build top-ranking universities and serve China’s diplomatic strategy, universities in all regions should strengthen standard management, increase the quality of their educational resources and contribute to China's goal to be a powerful country in foreign student cultivation.

Specifically, it’s necessary to raise quality, develop Chinese foreign study characteristics and build awareness of China’s own foreign study brand.