Report: Safety a growing concern for Chinese students overseas

Safety issues have become a major concern for China’s overseas students, according to an annual report released on Monday.

Embassies and consulates handled more than 100,000 reports from students abroad who felt their security was threatened in 2016.

This is a sharp increase on the previous year, which saw only 36,800 reports, according to the 2017 Report on the Development of Chinese Students Studying Abroad.

The annual report, published by the Center for China and Globalization, said cases fell into three categories: personal safety, psychological safety and property.

About 1.36 million Chinese were studying abroad in 2016, more than any other country, the data show.

China is the largest source of international students for English-speaking countries, including the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia.