“China stands for hope and the future, only by studying in China can we have hope and a better future”, a sophomore at the Chinese Department of Cairo University in Egypt bluntly told a Global Times reporter.

As China becomes increasingly prosperous, foreign students more often see China as a good option for study.

Media outlets in many African countries have reported on China’s successful experience, calling on their own citizens to study in China, learn from China’s experience and then contribute their knowledge to the construction of their own country, Global Times reported.

Under this context, African students are interested in studying in China, and it’s even seen as a fashionable choice by students in countries such as Egypt and Sudan.

The number of African students studying in China has soared over the past 15 years. In 2003, there were less than 2,000 African students in China, while by 2015, the number reached almost 50,000, according to a research report released by UNESCO.

Egyptian students have applied enthusiastically for a scholarship program established by the Chinese government, all hoping to be one of 139 students given the scholarship to study in China this year, Han Chong, an official from the Education Department of Chinese Embassy in Egypt told Global Times.

The trend is not confined to Africa. In recent years, students from all over the world have become increasingly attracted to studying in China, their choice of major no longer being limited to traditional options such as Chinese language, history and culture.

Parrot, a student from London, has been an exchange student in a Beijing university, and thanks to a two-year immersive learning experience he is now able to host business meetings in both Chinese and English.

Pitt has benefited from a U.K. based program which intends to send 80,000 British students to study or work in China annually by the year 2020. The young man majored in Chinese Financial Market Research from a university in Xi’an, northwest China’s Shaanxi province, 10 years ago. He got a decent job in a bank soon after his return to the U.K.

At present, 400 Chinese universities and colleges are eligible to accept foreign students.

Tsinghua University has enrolled about 150 students from the U.K. in the past 10 years, with quite a few from world renowned universities such as Oxford and Cambridge. Their fields of study include law, public management, business administration and media.

Peking University and the London School of Economics and Political Science have also jointly set up a summer program, offering courses to students from all over the world who are interested in Chinese economy, politics and culture.