U.S. Participates in China's International Education Exhibition; Despite Recent Tensions, U.S. Remains Favorite Place to Study Among Chinese.

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 12, 1999--

To support China's "reform and open policy," IEF Education Foundation (IEF) and U.S. Department of Commerce representatives will escort a group of U.S. colleges and universities to China's International Education Exhibition in Beijing and Shanghai, Nov 12-18.

This event sets the stage for a larger group of U.S. colleges and universities to visit China in March 2000 to recruit students.

The November event organizer is China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE), China's largest nongovernmental entity focused on this area. More than 12 U.S. educational institutions, including Columbia University and University of California, Irvine, will attend.

They join representatives from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, Switzerland and Thailand -- all eager to capture more of this large student market.

At the same time, IEF and the Department of Commerce announced plans to co-host Spring 2000 China Fair, the largest U.S. student fair ever held in China on March 17-21, 2000. This six-day program in Shanghai and Beijing will be organized with CEAIE and will help U.S. universities market themselves more effectively to Chinese students.

China's Large Market Potential

CEAIE estimates only one in three high school graduates in China have access to a higher education, and that only nine percent of Chinese aged 18-22 are studying at a university. As China experiences explosive economic growth, studying abroad has become especially popular among the nation's wealthiest families.

Currently, the U.S. is the most popular destination; with 46,958 Chinese students in 1997-98, according to industry reports. In fact, China is second only to Japan in sending students to U.S. schools. That could change quickly, however, if the U.S. doesn't pay attention, according to Dr. Patrick T. Fong, IEF's executive director.

"Foreign demand for Chinese students has never been higher," said Fong. "Other countries recognize that many of these graduates will return to positions of power in China, and that the value of these future political and business alliances is priceless. The United States simply can't afford to be apathetic."

This is the largest U.S. delegation to participate in a student fair in China, said Fong. Additionally, the U.S. lacks a national international recruitment policy and many university officials have recently called the U.S. visa policies for Chinese students "unfair and inconsistent."

In contrast, Britain recently hosted three large student fairs in China; the last one attended by more than 88 U.K. educational institutions. This comes on the heels of Prime Minister Tony Blair's June announcement that Britain plans to make it easier than ever for foreigners to study there.

IEF is a nonprofit organization helping students in more than 50 nations learn about the U.S. educational system and culture. With headquarters in Los Angeles, IEF programs are supported by the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. State Department and Fulbright Foundation. To find out more about the Spring 2000 China Fair, contact 626/965-1995 or www.ief-usa.org.