More and more Chinese students are choosing France as their ideal overseas study destination.

Statistics show that about 6,800 students went to France in 2005, an increase of some 700 people compared with 2004. At the same time, other overseas study hotspots for Chinese students have witnessed a declining trend.

"1998 was a turning point in the development of Chinese students going to France," said Pierre Yang , director of the Beijing Office of EduFrance, an official agency that provides Chinese students with knowledge about studying in France.

Before 1998, only a few hundred Chinese students went to France each year. In 2003, about 6,300 students left China for France to study and from 2004 until now the figure has risen steadily.

Yang predicts that this year the number will hit 9,000, a historical high.

Currently, about 50,000 students are studying in Britain, while in France the figure is 20,000. "So the trend of studying in France is only in its infancy, leaving huge potential for further development," Yang said.

The fast economic development of China, the influence of the French Culture Year in China last year, and preferential policies for foreign students has made France a more popular study destination, Yang said.

The rapid growth of China's gross domestic product (GDP) is making residents' wallets swell, and more parents have the opportunity to provide their children with a top-notch education and a more internationalized scope of knowledge.

"The frequent and fruitful bilateral relations, as well as the expanding and deepening influence of the French Culture Year has significantly promoted French culture in China," Yang said.

"Another reason why students are choosing France is because study in some other countries is too expensive. France gives me greater opportunities to spend two or three years on study. And the knowledge of French language and culture will provide me an advantage when looking for a job in an international company, " said a student from Peking University who has undertaken in-depth research on overseas study destinations, during the French Business Schools Workshop in Beijing on October 15.

The workshop gathering the top 10 business schools in France lured more than 400 students from several top universities in Beijing.

The revision of the policies for overseas students in France starting from this year will encourage more Chinese students to turn their attention from the United States and Britain.

"The 'good' policies offer good opportunities for excellent students in terms of obtaining visas and helping them to find jobs in the country," Yang said.

"These policies are good for excellent students, especially those specialized in science and technology, who can henceforth, after obtaining a master degree, get a temporary resident card in order to look for a job in France," Yang said, pointing out that the French government now can offer a working permit card for these excellent overseas students who succeed in finding jobs.

Every year, EduFrance offers some 50 activities in China to enable Chinese students to understand the French higher education system and reinforce the attractiveness of French higher education.

(China Daily 10/25/2006 page21)