Item from June 27, 1998, in China Daily: Foreign students celebrate yesterday at the graduation ceremony of the Beijing Language and Culture University.

In all, 212 students from 22 countries received bachelor's degrees in Chinese language after finishing a four-year course.

Thanks to better selection of courses, the number of foreigners studying in China has continued to rise in the past few years.

Last year, more than 440,000 overseas students studied in China, up by 35 percent from 2012, according to the Ministry of Education.

Nearly 40 percent of them studied Chinese.

China has now become the most popular study destination in Asia. Some cities have also unveiled policies to help young foreigners open their own businesses.

In Shanghai, foreign graduates of universities on the mainland can apply for a two-year residence permit by presenting a graduation certificate and a business plan, or proof of their startup.

Experts estimate that China will be transformed from the biggest source of talent in the world into a major destination for international talent in the next five years.

To better connect China with the world, the Confucius Institute, a nonprofit organization that works largely through cooperation between a Chinese university and a foreign counterpart, has established 511 branches in 140 countries, teaching Chinese to more than 2 million people. The first branch was opened in 2004.

The institute has also started to diversify by setting up centers that highlight traditional Chinese medicine, business and fashion design.