China boost scholarships for Indonesians

The Chinese government will continue to increase the number of state-funded scholarships for Indonesians pursuing higher education in China, as the Asian giant seeks to strengthen ties and people-to-people relations with the archipelagic nation.

Zhou Bin, cultural counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta, announced on Wednesday that the government had opened applications for 197 full scholarships for Indonesians to study for a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, doctorate degree or undertake Mandarin language studies.

The amount shows a continued rise in the government’s fully-funded scholarships over the past few years, the biggest since 2016, which saw a jump to 187 scholarships from 15 slots the previous year.

As many as 12 study areas are available, including science, engineering, medicine, economics, law and the arts.

"The relations between the two countries will continue to be strengthened," Zhou Bin said during a scholarship briefing event at the Indonesian Al Azhar University's Chinese Cultural Center in Jakarta.

Citing government data, Zhou Bin said more than 500 Chinese students were currently studying in Indonesia, 25 of whom had received funding from the Indonesian government.

Meanwhile, there are more than 14,000 Indonesians currently studying in China.