Nearly 1,000 children from other countries are currently studying in Beijing, and more are coming, sources with the municipal Education Committee said.

The Beijing Huijia School has received a letter from a school in the Republic of Korea asking to send students to school in Beijing, Wednesday's Beijing Morning Post reported.

Education expert Dr. Hou Xin said China's solid basic education is the main reason for the outside interest.

Besides attending foreign-funded international schools in Beijing, young foreigners of primary and middle school-age here often go to Fangcaodi Primary school, which is specially designed for kids whose parents work in the Chinese capital.

Huijia and two other schools that have been approved to enroll students directly from overseas are also favored by foreign families.

So far, Huijia has more than 100 such students from the United States, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Canada, Cuba and Thailand.

The tuition fee is US$ 7,000 a year.

(Xinhua News Agency November 8, 2001)