REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NANJING -- More students from ASEAN member countries are expected to study in China, as ASEAN and China seek to improve their cooperation in the educational sector. "Overseas students are the bridge and the future of the relationship between ASEAN and China," Secretary General of ASEAN-China Center Yang Xiuping said during a lecture at Nanjing Normal University, China on Sunday.

Currently, there are some 68,000 students from Southeast Asian countries studying in universities across China.

In 2016, the number is expected to increase to 100,000 students. "We hope to see more exchanges and more ASEAN students studying in China," Yang said.

Indah Kartika Sari is one of the ASEAN students who have been given an opportunity to study in China. She was granted a scholarship by the Chinese Government to study journalism at Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.

It was a rare opportunity for her to receive a scholarship to China, she added. "It is my chance to know the culture of China. And the (Mandarin) language is one of added values of studying in China," said Indah, who comes from Aceh Province, Indonesia.

Marina, from Laos, is another ASEAN students studying in China. "I study environment in Soochow University in Suzhou, so I might get a job in my country," Marina said.

As part of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road sponsored by the Government of China, there will be more student exchanges between ASEAN countries and China. "Chinese enterprises want to set up economic cooperation, but they also need education exchanges to create an understanding of each other," Vice President of Soochow University in Laos, Wang Jiexian, said on a separate occasion.

The Maritime Silk Road of the 21st century is expected to further unite and expand common interests between China and other countries located along the route, encourage potential growth and achieve mutual benefits in wider areas.

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