The Chinese government is to grant scholarships to 20,000 foreign students next year, an increase of 2,000 over this year's number, Education Minister Yuan Guiren said Friday.

Yuan said at an evening party for foreign students in Beijing that the move was aimed at encouraging more young people from other countries to engage in communication between China and the rest of the world and contribute to bilateral and multilateral ties.

"More and more young foreigners have turned their eyes to China for study," Yuan said. "China will offer them a broader stage."

Nearly 230,000 foreign students are now studying in China. In 2009, the Chinese government has expanded the scale of its scholarship to foreign students, with a total of 18,078 recipients,33.8 percent higher than that of 2008.

(Xinhua News Agency December 5, 2009)