Jiangsu seeks to lure overseas students

Jiangsu is striving to build a welcoming study environment to accommodate international students, especially those from the US, according to heads of universities and government officials from the eastern China province.

There is a growing number of students from the US - as well as the rest of the world - enhancing their education, as well as gaining internship experience, on the campuses of Jiangsu.

Jiangsu is strategically located adjacent to the Yangtze River Delta area where technology, trade and manufacturing businesses are booming. This makes the province an ideal destination for young people to practice their freshly learned skills.

"For the US, there is a lot to learn from China's educational system, and vice versa," said Tan Renxiang, vice-president of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, who led a group of 38 delegates from 18 universities in Jiangsu to Los Angeles this week, in an effort to promote and introduce Jiangsu's higher education during a NAFSA conference.

"China has very high yields from its education sector, considering its investment in the sector is relatively low compared to the US," said Tan.

"We are in discussions with relevant departments in Jiangsu to adjust the regulations on international students," said Yu Xiaonan, head of the division for international cooperation and exchange at Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education.

Jiangsu has allowed foreign students to rent their residences off campus, according to Yu, to make their school life more Westernized. He added that there would be even more measures taken to attract students from the US.

Jiangsu has for decades been a prominent educator - the province is home to 141 universities, which have cultivated numerous young talents that have been injected into the job market, enriching various trades with much needed skills and training, he said.