Vice-Premier Liu Yandong addresses a forum of Chinese and Egyptian university chiefs held in Cairo University on Saturday. [Photo by Hou Liqiang/China Daily]

China will offer 500 government scholarships to college freshmen from Egypt, Vice-Premier Liu Yandong announced on Saturday at a forum for Chinese and Egyptian university chiefs at Cairo University.

Hailing the forum as a new platform to promote education cooperation between China and Egypt and to enhance friendship between the two countries, she called for more cooperation between educational institutions on both sides.

"I hope universities of the two countries will further the cooperation in talent cultivation, scientific research and social services and promote exchanges among teachers and students, resource sharing and innovation," Liu said.

She asked the universities of the two countries to play a bigger role in promoting China-Egypt relationship as think tanks and urged the two sides to deepen cooperation in the fields of education, science and technology and culture.

Currently, there are more than 800 Egyptian students in China and about a third of them are on Chinese government scholarships. There are also about 2,300 Chinese students currently studying in Egypt.?