Customers enter a currency exchange shop in London, Britain, on June 24, 2016. (Xinhua/Han Yan)
Chinese students poised to benefit
Chinese students planning to study in the United Kingdom may gain some short-term benefits as a result of the country voting to leave the EU, according to overseas studies insiders.
Liu Fengjie, director of the UK division of Chivast Education International, a Beijing-based company that helps Chinese students to study overseas, said the students may find it cheaper to study in the UK and easier to work there after the Brexit.
"I also think that some people from EU member countries may leave the UK and their jobs there, which might provide opportunities for Chinese students seeking work," Liu said.
More than 450,000 overseas students went to study in Britain last year, with 130,000 of them from China, according to the British government.
He Chugang, general manager of the South China region at Amber Education, an overseas studies consulting agency, agreed with Liu that the cost of studying in the UK will be lower.
He was surprised by the high turnout for the referendum, adding that many features of the UK－its economy, culture and others－are closely connected with the EU.
"Leaving the EU is of no benefit for the country," He said. "Further effects on international education remain to be seen."
Vote could stimulate tourism
The Brexit may attract more Chinese tourists due to the decline of the British pound, experts said.
"The most important impact on Chinese tourists is the possible currency fluctuations," said Jiang Yiyi, director of the International Tourism Development Institute.
If the British currency keeps tumbling against the renminbi, the yuan's purchasing power will increase. "Traveling to the United Kingdom may become cheaper, and Chinese tourists will be more willing to go there," she said.
About 270,000 Chinese tourists visited Britain last year, a 46 percent increase over the previous year, according to the British government.
Jiang said that the visa policy toward Chinese may not see big changes after the Brexit, because the UK did not adopt the Schengen visa.
But Britain has bilateral visa agreements with European countries. For example, it has a deal with Belgium to allow visa holders of either country to enter the other.
"But after the Brexit, we don't know if the situation will change," she said.
Xu Xiaolei, chief branding officer at Aoyou.com, an online booking website, also said the falling pound might make UK travel cheaper and it could also present an opportunity for Chinese capital to purchase British tourism assets.
