China, UK sign contracts, MoU to promote education communication

SHANGHAI - Two contracts and a memorandum of understanding were signed between China and British education institutes Monday.

The MoU, signed between Shanghai's Minhang District Government and Britain's Dulwich College during the China-UK Education Development Forum, was regarding a new international school set to be built in the district.

The two contracts will improve early-education cooperation between China's Yango Preschool Group and British education company Alpha Plus Group as well as Jiangsu Lv Guo Education Management and British Early Education.

"I'm delighted to launch this event in Shanghai as the UK and China share many joint priorities in the field of education," said Justine Greening, British Secretary of State for Education. "The collaboration will raise the educational standards in both countries."

According to figures by Britain's Department for International Trade, the number of Chinese students studying in the U.K. is growing, with more than 70,000 studying there by the end of 2014. More and more British students are also choosing to come to study in China, with the number increasing by 40 percent from 2012 to 2015.

A delegation of 15 British schools meet Chinese partners from Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu to explore education cooperation opportunities at the forum.