Students of Zambia perform at a reception held by the Chinese embassy in Lusaka, Zambia, on August 25, 2017, after studying in China. All these students received Chinese Government Scholarship. (Photo/Xinhua)
Education
The surge in the number of African students in China is remarkable. In less than 15 years the African student body has grown 26-fold -- from just under 2,000 in 2003 to almost 50,000 in 2015.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the US and UK host around 40,000 African students a year. China surpassed this number in 2014, making it the second most popular destination for African students studying abroad, after France which hosts just over 95,000 students.
African students in France overwhelmingly come from francophone West Africa. If Tsinghua's profile holds true for the larger African student body in China, it means China is an increasingly important player in the education of countries outside of West Africa.
-- CNN: "Why African students are ditching the US for China" (June 29, 2017)
