Photo: Lu Wenao/Global Times

Ahead of the annual China International Education Exhibition Tour, officials underlined Thursday that safety is a priority for students studying overseas and that these students should be aware of the safety risks when planning to study outside of China. 

Students studying abroad often have to deal with problems such as fraud and mental health on their own instead of being able to immediately turn to their friends and family while studying in China.  

The Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) has been promoting its safety awareness program since 2009 through both online and offline events that have helped educate over 7 million students and their parents. 

Cheng Jiacai, director-general of the CSCSE, said safety is a priority when studying overseas. He also noted that the CSCSE will strengthen its safety awareness program during the exhibition tour, which is scheduled to be held in Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Shanghai from April 8 to 16.

A high-profile forum on students studying overseas will also be held in Beijing, a day before the exhibition kicks off, with guests including Australian Ambassador to China Graham Fletcher, the UK's University College London President Michael Spence, and South Korea's Hanyang University President Lee Ki-jeong, organizers said. 

Universities from the UK will be the largest group of participants at the exhibition, organizers said. 

More than 40 universities from 11 countries taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative, such as Russia, Serbia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and the Philippines, will also take part in the exhibitions.

More than 200 universities and education institutions from 25 countries and regions had registered to participate in the exhibitions, organizers said.

Thousands of Chinese students go overseas to study every year, with ­English-speaking countries the US, the UK and Australia among the top destinations. 

Figures revealed at the press briefing in Beijing on Thursday show that there are over 150,000 Chinese students currently in the UK, while there were 155,000 Chinese students in Australia at the end of 2022.

There is also a rising number of Chinese students attending primary through high school in the UK, according to Leina Shi, Director Education at the British Council China. 

She also noted that the total number of Chinese students studying in the UK has reached the same level of 2019, before the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

According to the UK-based Higher Education Statistics Agency, a record number of 151,690 Chinese students studied in the UK in 2021-22, more than any other country or alliance.

According to UK-based Higher Education Statistics Agency, China sent a record number of 151,690 students to the UK in 2021-22, more than any other country or alliance.

Collaboration programs between Chinese academic institutes and overseas universities have also become increasingly popular in China, as a section in the exhibitions will focus on these programs.

The exhibitions will not only see overseas universities try to woo Chinese students, but also offer a platform for domestic universities and overseas universities to negotiate scientific and academic cooperation, which is also vital for multilateral people-to-people exchanges.

Students who have experience studying overseas are sometimes more preferred by companies who want to start or strengthen international business, as a growing number of companies have registered their interests at the CSCSE's job fair for overseas studying students. 

The exhibition tour, launched in 1999, has witnessed the participation of over 2,600 institutes and universities from 56 countries and regions, attracting over 1.47 million people.