About 450 overseas schools from 30 countries and regions are to attend the China Education Expo 2006 held by the China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE) in Beijing on Saturday with an estimated 20,000 people scheduled to attend.

Wu Zaofeng, deputy secretary-general of CEAIE, said the association hopes the expo can serve as a hub where Chinese students will benefit from conducting one-to-one consultations with target schools.

As part of the Russia Year in China, the Russian education delegation will be the largest group of participants at the Expo, and the largest such delegation ever. About 110 university presidents and representatives from 53 Russian higher education institutes will be at the Expo to talk to Chinese students.

Good bilateral relations, high quality of education, a growing need for the Russian language coupled with low tuition and living expenses have led to an increase of Chinese students in Russia.

Figures from the Russian Embassy show that about 13,000 Chinese students are currently studying in Russia. In 2005, about 3,500 to 4,000 students went to Russia and that figure increased this year.

Two prime education destinations for Chinese students, Britain and New Zealand, hosting 60,000 and 30,000 Chinese students respectively, will also participate in the Expo.

Nearly 60 British schools including higher learning institutions, language training schools and tourism management schools will take part in the expo and offer on-the-spot consultancy, according to the organizer.

The expo will also attract 12 national education institutions from New Zealand, among good news for foreign doctoral candidates who will from now on enjoy the same tuition fees as local NZ students.

The annual expo, launched in 1999, is viewed as an opportunity for overseas schools to expand their presence in the world's potentially largest recruitment market.

It is sponsored by many foreign bodies including the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy, the German Academic Exchange Service and the Spanish Embassy. The 2006 Expo will tour China, visiting Harbin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Chengdu and Shenzhen, with an expected 60,000 visitors in total.

(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily October 10, 2006)