Foreign students flock to China
中国成留学第三大目的地国
As graduates around the world prepared to begin their academic and professional careers in 2018, Kelley Reardon decided to step out of her comfort zone. She quit her new environmental consulting job in Boston and enrolled in a Chinese university, instead. "China is a huge economic powerhouse," Reardon, 24, told China Daily. She has been studying for an International Master's of Environmental Policy at Duke Kunshan University in Jiangsu province. "There's so much potential for China to become a leader in environmental areas like renewable energy and climate action," she said.
2018年，在世界各地的毕业生们都准备开启自己的学术和职业生涯之时，凯莉·里尔登决定走出自己的舒适区。她辞去了在波士顿关于环境咨询的新工作，转而入读一所中国大学。“中国是个巨大的经济强国，”现年24岁的里尔登在接受《中国日报》采访时表示。目前她正在位于江苏省的昆山杜克大学攻读环境政策专业国际硕士学位。“中国拥有巨大的潜力，能够成为可再生能源、气候行动等环境领域的引领者，”她说道。
Reardon is one of almost 500,000 international students, from 196 different countries and regions, who studied in China in 2018, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Education recently. In 1995, that number was less than 40,000. Now, China is the third most popular student destination in the world, behind only the US and UK.
教育部近期数据显示，2018年共有来自196个国家和地区的近50万名国际学生来华学习，里尔登是其中之一。1995年，当时来华留学生人数还不足4万。如今，中国已成为全球留学第三大目的地国，仅次于美英两国。
Where do they come from? South Korea ranked first in the number of students sent to China last year, with 50,600 students. Thailand followed with 28,608.
这些留学生都来自哪里呢？去年韩国留学生人数最多，共有50600人来华学习。泰国紧随其后，留学生人数为28608人。
A Dec 11 report from the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and the Institute of International Education credited the rise with the "shift away from the long predominance of English-speaking countries in the higher education market."
12月11日，全球化智库与国际教育协会发布了一份报告，将来华留学生人数增长的原因归于“英语国家在高等教育市场的长期主导地位有所转移。”

The Times Higher Education also noted that China's lower tuition fees, plentiful scholarship opportunities and the rise of joint venture universities all combine to help attract students.
《泰晤士高等教育》也指出，中国相对较低的学费、丰富的奖学金机会以及合作办学高校的兴起都有助于吸引学生。
As Denis Simon, executive vice-chancellor of Duke Kunshan University told the Times, "Students who are now studying in the Asia-Pacific region have all sorts of career opportunities. They can use their knowledge of the East and the West, and they can learn new languages and new cultures."
正如昆山杜克大学常务副校长丹尼斯·西蒙在接受《泰晤士报》采访时所说的那样：“在亚太地区学习的学生拥有各种各样的职业机会。他们能够利用自身的东西方知识，并且学习新知识、新文化。”
Zhou Mansheng, a senior researcher at the CCG, told CGTN that welcoming more international students is helpful for cultivating talent and building the country.
全球化智库高级研究员周满生在接受中国国际电视台采访时表示，欢迎更多留学生来华有助于培养人才、建设国家。
The report also highlighted that China's well-established source of outgoing students and incoming international students are key elements of the Belt and Road Initiative. It also showed China's focus on Africa. Between 2005 and 2015, the number of African students in China rose by almost 50,000.
该报告也强调，中国长久以来的出国留学生和来华国际学生来源是“一带一路”倡议的关键因素。报告也体现了中国对非洲的关注。在2005至2015年期间，中国的非洲留学生数量增加至将近5万人。
The increase "reflects the expanding economic and business ties between China and African countries, as well as China's commitment to providing scholarships to African students," according to the report.
该报告表示，这样的增长“反映了中国与非洲国家之间日益扩大的经贸联系，中国也履行了为非洲学生提供奖学金的承诺。”