China to lure back students

Press, 10 November 1986, Page 4

China to lure back students

NZPA-Reuter Peking Peking plans to set up Chinese-language training centres in Africa in an attempt to reverse a fall in the number of Third World students in China, an official newspaper said.

Until the late 19705, most foreign students in China were from African and other developing countries, but Japanese and Europeans now outnumber them, the “China Daily” said. The newspaper said there were 300 African students in China this year, but did not give any figures for previous years. They must first learn the language before studying subjects such as medicine and engineering in Chinese, meaning an unbroken stay in China of as long as seven years for some.

The language-training centres in Africa, run by Chinese teachers, would replace courses in Peking, the newspaper said.

African students in China often complain of racist treatment and difficulty making ends meet on small living allowances.

Earlier this year, a party to celebrate African National Day at Tianjin University was followed by a riot in which foreign students, most of them Africans or Arabs, were besieged by Chinese students for five hours.

Foreign students later marched through Peking to protest about their treatment.