B.C. Education Minister Peter Fassbender and Trade Representative Ben Stewart announced the scholarship in Beijing on Monday.

British Columbia wants to attract more Chinese students to study in its kindergartens to elementary schools.

A delegation led by B.C. Education Minister Peter Fassbender visited Beijing and announced on Monday two new scholarships for Chinese students and B.C. students who study Chinese.

Starting in 2016, the ministry will provide C$150,000 in annual scholarships to a total of 120 students – 40 from China, 40 from the Republic of Korea and 40 from Japan. The money will help 20 students attend schools in kindergarten through 12th grade, and 20, 12th grade students attend post-secondary institutions.

The goal is to issue the awards in the spring for eligible students to commence their studies in B.C. in the fall of 2016.

In addition to the new scholarship program, the ministry and the Consulate-General of China in Vancouver have established another annual scholarship, the British Columbia-China Award for Excellence in Chinese. The ministry and the consulate-general will contribute C$12,500 each to award $500 to 50 Grade 12 B.C. students for their excellence in the study of Chinese.

"It shows our commitment to ensuring that we brought opportunities for the young people and help them open the door to study in British Columbia," said Fassbender. "International students help shape our multicultural, world-class education system, which benefits all of our students and teachers in B.C."

The delegation renewed a memorandum of understanding signed with the Chinese Ministry of Education in 2003 on a series of collaborative programs, including scholarships, and student and teacher exchanges between the two countries.

Participants also attended the celebration of 20th anniversary of the Maple Leaf Educational System in China, which established the first B.C. offshore school in China and has now expanded to 31 schools.

According to statistics from the B.C. Education Ministry, in 2013 there were 25,800 Chinese international students in BC including 4,300 in kindergartens and elementary schools, which represented 23 percent of the total 112,800 international students in the province. China is the top source country for all international students in B.C.

About 17,000 international students are in B.C.'s kindergartens and elementary schools, contributing C$400 million to the province's economy.

"It's true that international education sectors are an important part of the province's economy," said Ben Stewart, B.C.'s trade representative in Beijing.

In 2014 there were 656,000 Chinese international students studying in Canada, a 21 percent increase from 2013.

The ministry estimates that by 2022 Canada will have 450,000 international students, which will create 173,000 jobs associated with international studies in Canada. The revenue brought by international students will also increase to C$16.1 billion.

In 2010 the Chinese government launched the National Plan Outline on Medium and Long-Term Education Reform and Development (2010-2020), one of the key components is to encourage international exchange and student programs.

"Even before I came here I was well aware that international education and exchange is a priority for China and that has been more reinforced during this time I visit China," Fassbender said. "China is no longer emerging in education, but is becoming one of the leaders in education."

He added that China is one of the top 10 countries listed in the province's long-standing educational strategic.

In April, the B.C. trade mission to China promoted exchange opportunities and announced almost $1.4 million for more than 300 scholarships for students in B.C. and China.

Advanced Education Minister Andrew Wilkinson led the B.C. delegation, which included representatives from the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Langara College, Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia. The delegation visited and met with officials in Beijing, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Chongqing.

"The B.C. brand is well recognized in China, and we have found there is a significant interest in ongoing commercial activity related to this academic exchange," said Wilkinson.