Numbers of those rushing to work and live abroad double to 9.3 million in 2 decades

Overseas shores are luring Chinese citizens in ever-increasing numbers, according to a major annual report.

The number of Chinese going abroad to work or study has doubled in two decades, from 4 million in 1990 to 9.3 million in 2013, according to the report by the Center for China and Globalization released on Wednesday.

The number of foreign migrants arriving in China has also risen, but on a lesser scale, from 370,000 to 848,000 since 1990.

The top four destinations for Chinese are the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The work ethic and law-abiding reputation of Chinese people meant that countries were increasingly ready to offer them opportunities.

"Chinese workers are welcomed worldwide for their hard work and honesty," said Wang Yaohui, director of the center.

Work opportunities are the driving force in attracting Chinese abroad, but education also plays a major role.

Last year, China Merchants Bank and management consulting firm Bain & Company jointly published the China Private Wealth Report, showing that about 77 percent of all respondents said they would consider, or were planning, to live overseas for their children's education.

The center's report said that in 2012 Chinese students were granted 399,000 visas to study overseas, a 10-fold increase on 2000.

The number of Chinese citizens going overseas purely for work rose by more than 13 percent year-on-year in 2012.

In 2012, a total of 850,000 Chinese workers, mostly in the manufacturing, construction and health sectors, went abroad to work, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

With the European economy beginning to show signs of recovery, Wang said this continent will become the next "hot" destination.