Conditions ripe for international students to return to China

Unofficial 'ambassadors'

The students are a link between China and their own countries, bringing different perspectives and acting as "ambassadors" for China at home, they said.

Hasan Mahady is a second-year undergraduate at Beijing Jiaotong University. The 23-year-old from Bangladesh said China is one of the safest countries in the world, noting that Beijing is one of the largest and busiest places in China, yet there is almost no crime in the city.

The cost of studying in China is relatively low, compared with places such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and European countries. Given the guarantee of quality education, international students who decide to study in China are less burdened financially, he said.

As the government invests to provide resources for universities and internationalize the education system, the country's universities are increasingly well-respected globally, while more schools in China are listed in the Times Higher Education's World University Rankings than ever before.

"Chinese is not the most straightforward language, but it is not impossible to learn. It is one of the most widely spoken languages on Earth, and it looks good on resumes and job applications. China has a lot of opportunities if we speak good Chinese," Mahady said.

Minh David Thao Chan is a second-year PhD candidate at Tsinghua University, focusing on information technology and telecommunications.

The 30-year-old from France said he thinks China has become a leader in technology and will attract intellectuals from across the globe, just as the United States did 30 years ago.