Pakistanis stand at 3rd position among total number of foreign students in China

Official statistics shows that China has become the top education destination for Pakistani students

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is ranked third in the number of international students currently studying in China with 28,023 students, according to a statement issued by China's Ministry of Education.

South Korea ranks first with 50,600 students, followed by Thailand with 28,608 students, India with 23,198 students, and the United States with 20,996 students.

A total of 492,185 international students from 196 countries and regions studied in China –  up by 0.62 per cent compared to the previous year.

The number of students pursuing academic education increased by 6.86 per cent year-on-year to 258,122, accounting for 52.44 per cent of the total. Students studying for master's and doctoral degrees increased by 12.28 per cent to 85,062. Most international students in China have been self-funded, accounting for 87.19 per cent of the total.



The official data shows that China has become the top education destination for Pakistani students as most of them enrolled in Chinese universities, around 7,034 are studying on scholarships.

The number of Pakistani students has risen in China mainly because of a series of preferential policies offered by the Chinese government after the launch of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Currently, 6,156 Pakistani students are pursuing PhD degrees, 3,600 are pursuing Masters degrees, 11,100 are pursuing Bachelors degrees and 3,000 students are enrolled in Short Term Exchange Programmes across China.

Pakistani students are studying Chinese language, engineering, medical, computer science and various other fields. Various scholarships are provided by the Chinese government to lure international students over - most notably, students from the Belt and Road Initiative participating countries and regions have been facilitated to obtain scholarships under the Chinese Government Scholarship - Silk Road Programme.



Pakistani students also enthusiastically participate in cultural activities organised in different universities across China.

They set up booths decorated with traditional Pakistani stuff and beautiful posters depicting different social and cultural activities and historical places in Pakistan.

They also represent the country in the music, essay writing, and photography competitions to be organised under the Belt and Road Initiative in China.