Teaching foreign students is major business

At a recent international education exhibition in Beijing, Canada was placed in the limelight as the guest country of honor for its rich and quality resources in the sector.

Delegations from more than 110 Canadian schools and institutions participated in the China Educational Expo as exhibitors, which ran from Oct 21-22 - a record high in the annual event's history. The North American country has participated in the education expo for 10 years.

Colin Doerr, director of external relations at the British Columbia Council for International Education, told Chinese media that increasing bilateral exchanges in multiple sectors facilitates cooperation in education between the two countries.

Data from the Chinese consulate in Toronto show that approximately 186,000 Chinese students are currently in Canada.

"We'll do whatever we can" to increase the ranks of Chinese students, who already make up 32 percent of the international cohort in Canadian schools, The Global and Mail quoted Ahmed Hussen, Canadian minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, as saying in an interview in Beijing in November.

Educating foreign students has grown into a major business in Canada, worth $11.6 billion annually, Hussen said. The number of international students in Canada rose by a fourth last year.