International students in China write Chinese characters to greet the Chinese Lunar New Year. (File photo/China News Service)
(ECNS) -- China is expected to host 500,000 international students in 2020, according to a report released in Beijing on Wednesday.
Economy expansion driven by knowledge and innovation around the world is one motivation attracting international students, according to the report jointly released by Center for China and Globalization (CCG), World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) and Institute of International Education (IIE).
Universities should offer short-term credit courses in foreign language teaching to attract students from Europe, the U.S. and neighboring countries to study in China, suggested Sang Peng, president of Beijing Overseas Study Service Association.
Policies should be formulated more in line with China's development, help international students play a better role in China, and provide policy support for further development, said Li Qing, a CCG director.
Ten percent of international students studied in China during 2018, making it the third largest destination country in the world, according to the report.
A total 492,185 international students from 196 countries and regions studied in China's 1,004 colleges and universities in 2018, an increase of 0.62 percent over 2017, statistics released by the Ministry of Education revealed.
