The increasing number of African students seeking to further their education in China is a clear sign of the quality of education provided in the country, a senior government official said on Wednesday. Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Yang Youming said China was grateful for the appreciation expressed for the country's education system by African countries and has promised that China will continue providing high quality.

"The increasing number of students from Africa is a good indicator of the appreciation the people of Africa have for the quality of education in China, and that is why they have decided to send their children," Yang told reporters during a news briefing at which he unveiled an appreciation letter from 11 of the 26 Zambian students who went to China last year to study singing and dance under a program arranged by China's first lady, Peng Liyuan, and her Zambian counterpart Esther Lungu.

Yang also unveiled another letter in which the Chinese first lady responded to the letter written by the students.