More than 400 overseas universities and educational organizations will join this year's China International Education Exhibition Tour scheduled from February 28 to March 15.

Schools from nine countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Singapore and Britain, will showcase a wide range of majors for overseas students including art, science and technology, medicine and tourism.

"Overseas study will continue to play a significant role in cultivating elites as China is promoting innovation for science and technology," said Bai Zhangde, director of the China Service Center for Scholarly Exchange under the Ministry of Education.

Founded twenty years ago, the center for scholarly exchange has expanded its services to more than 100 countries and regions.

Statistics showed that from 1978 to 2007, more than 1.2 million Chinese people went abroad to study. Since 2002, more than 100,000 Chinese studied aboard every year.

The 14th education exhibition tour will be held in Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Nanjing and Guangzhou cities.

(Xinhua News Agency February 20, 2009)