BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government will provide scholarships for a record 11,000 foreign students in China next year.

    Vice Minister of Education Zhang Xinsheng said at a show for foreign exchange students at Peking University on Thursday that the government attached much importance to student exchanges.

    Higher education institutes and big cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing, and the provinces of Yunnan, Hubei and Liaoning, would fund scholarships for foreign students.

    "The government and universities will take concrete measures to improve education quality, so as to better serve the increasing number of foreign students," Zhang said.

    He said the number of foreign students had risen rapidly with China's economic and social development, especially after the policy of reform and opening up was adopted in 1978.

    In 2005, China received 140,000 foreign students from 179 countries.

    "The exchange of students is an important part of international education cooperation, and an important way to make friends," he said.

    He said the government would enhance international education exchanges and cooperation, and join with other countries to create a sound and harmonious environment for educational development.