Over the next decade, China will attempt to increase its “cultural soft power” and to become the premier academic destination in Asia by attracting greater numbers of foreign students to enroll in degree courses, reports China Daily. To accomplish its goal of having 150,000 foreign students enrolled in degree courses in 2020, China’s central government will make additional national scholarships available and will encourage provincial governments, schools, enterprises and social organizations to expand their scholarship programs.

China hit a record high of 240,000 international students in 2009, but less than half enrolled in degree courses – the majority (60%) were enrolled in Chinese language courses. Since the 1950s, 1.7 million overseas students have studied in China. China’s ambitious plan includes enrollment, in 2020, of 500,000 foreign students, which is nearly one-third of the last half century’s combined total.