BEIJING, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- China attracted more than 162,000 students from 185 countries and regions in 2006, an official with the Ministry of Education (MOE) said here Monday.

    "China's educational sector has made remarkable progress, especially in teaching quality and method," said Cao Guoxing, director of the MOE international cooperation and exchange department at a function for foreign students for the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Tuesday.

    "The quality of our higher education has been widely acclaimed by other countries, and thus attracting more exchange students," he said.

    The government had signed agreements with 30 countries and regions on mutual recognition on academic certificates and degrees.

    The number of foreign students in 2006 was triple that of 2000, official statistics show.

    Foreign students entered more than 500 universities and higher education institutes and their research subjects covered almost all academic subjects available in China.