China tops the world with the number of people studying abroad, Tuesday's Beijing Daily reported.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Personnel, a total of 460,000 Chinese have studied in 103 countries and regions. The United States attracted 150,000 Chinese, the largest portion of the total number.

Statistics show that Chinese students have increased drastically in countries like Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Singapore, Germany and France in recent years.

Statistics show that young people studying abroad under 22 have increased at an annual rate of 40 percent over the past three years.

Most students in the United States have a high education, either college graduates or postgraduates. However, the majority have opted for language schools or preparatory schools for colleges. Only nine percent of Chinese students managed to enter universities whose certificates can be recognized by local authorities.

China started to encourage students to study abroad in the late 1970s in a bid to have more talented people and promote international exchanges.

(People's Daily June 18, 2002)