> ![](media/image1.png){width="1.2in" height="1.2in"}

########  

######## ![](media/image3.wmf)

######## 

> *[www.buyusa.gov/studyusa](http://www.buyusa.gov/studyusa)*

###### HELPING YOU EDUCATE THE WORLD

Education and training is our country's 5^th^ largest service export,
bringing over \$14 billion in annual revenue to the United States. The
purpose of this newsletter, produced by the U.S. Department of Commerce,
is to provide free and helpful information to U.S. educational
institutions interested in improving their international reputation and
student recruitment efforts.

###### COUNTRY FEATURE: CHINA

Distance Learning is defined as the support, delivery or enhancement of
learning or training via the Internet. It is growing at a rapid pace in
China. The Chinese Government and various Chinese universities have
embraced Distance Learning -- education over the Internet -- as an
attractive and practical alternative to traditional classroom-based
education. To realize the goal of Distance Learning, the 11^th^
Five-Year Plan emphasizes the need for the government to develop and
invest more in technology and education. As a result, the Chinese
government has decided to enable 90 percent of middle and primary
schools nationwide to share online education resources in the coming
five years.

[]{.mark}

Some of the most popular disciplines among Chinese university students
are law, management, and computer science. Additionally, English and
other languages, certification training, management and information
technology are in high demand. Supporting these efforts are several
programs aimed at promoting Distance Learning in China. For example, the
World Bank has pledged to set up a global online development and study
center in Guizhou Province. The center provides long distance education
in management as well as training in information technology. The World
Bank has promised US\$500,000 for the center's construction.
Additionally, a US\$130 million Distance Learning education center in
the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is being built with the full support
of the World Bank. Other Distance Learning projects include the China
Youth Development Foundation's (CYDF) plan to extend online education to
8,000 primary schools by building websites and multi-media classrooms.
Founder Computer, a forceful IT company, has donated 2 million Yuan for
the project.

[]{.mark}

Given China's economic landscape, geography, level of technological
development and its high demand for U.S. educational methods, the
country is highly receptive to US Distance Learning service providers.
According to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, "science and technology are
playing the supporting and the leading role in China's socio-economic
development." With this in mind the Chinese government has invested in
Distance Learning with the hopes that it will dramatically improve
education in hard to reach rural and poor provinces. Moreover, China is
committed to addressing the negative effects of its aging rural
population. That is, through Distance Learning initiatives, China hopes
to reduce the loss of knowledge and know how in rural and isolated areas
of the country. Thus, there exists within China an enormous market for
US long-distance learning service providers at the collegiate and
professional level.

The gradual spread of broadband technology has promoted the development
of education through the Internet. The China Education and Research
Network (CERNET) is the largest Internet network in China, with a
high-speed transmission network of 20,000 km and 28 international and
regional channels. The system links all of China's provinces, regions
and major cities around the country. CERNET serves 95% of higher
education institutions in China and is connected with the China
Education Broadband Satellite Net (CEBSat), which began operating in
2000, providing high-speed Internet connections to remote educational
facilities.

The advancements made in educational infrastructure combined with the
"All Schools Connected" project have successfully modernized China's
education system. Currently 63% of all elementary and middle schools in
China have an intranet system and that number is expected to rise to 86%
within the next two to three years. In addition 97.2% of university
level institutions have intranet systems and a high percentage of those
are also equipped with Internet. Over 100,000 middle and primary schools
have Distance Learning programs and in 2002 the total IT expenditure of
the education sector reached US\$2.6 billion. According to CCID, China's
leading IT market research and consultancy firm, the education software
market will grow at a rate of 50% per year in the next four years. These
advancements are made possible through the help of American companies
such as Microsoft, which recently added yet another pledge to the list
of multi-million dollar commitments towards the development of the
Chinese IT industry. In a recent agreement between Microsoft and the
Ministry of Information Industry, Microsoft promised to help China's
information industry and narrow the digital divide between urban and
rural areas. Microsoft will invest US\$31 million in the project and
will train 1,000 instructors, 20,000 software engineers and offer online
courses to 50,000 engineers. In addition, American-based UGS recently
agreed to provide US\$1.1 billion in software grants to 87 universities
in China.

[]{.mark}

Most educational institutions in China are prospective buyers of
Distance Learning services. In the business sector, prospective buyers
of Distance Learning products and services include SOEs, multinational
corporations and other large domestic companies. Strong demand exists in
China to provide English courses and marketing courses, as the market
becomes more globally integrated and business is increasingly conducted
in English. It is recommended that smaller U.S. providers should focus
on small to mid-sized companies with domestic distribution, as larger
companies tend to seek out larger providers.

[]{.mark}

In most cases, US companies have gained the greatest success in China
through partnerships with local Chinese firms. When looking for a good
prospective partner, US companies should be very mindful of the Chinese
company's size, management, and history. Companies also have the option
of creating their own offices in China. Though setting up an office is
relatively easy, rules and regulations governing these offices are often
limiting. Representative offices cannot sign contracts, are forbidden to
work in RMB and cannot buy or sell in the name of the company.

[]{.mark}

As a result of China's strong interest in Distance Learning, business
opportunities for U.S. education service providers are rapidly
expanding. Distance Learning in China is a growing 1.45 billion dollar
market, and with over 50 billion dollar in government education
expenditure the industry is gaining momentum. In 2000, the operation
"All Schools Connected" was launched with the goal of equipping all of
China's 550,871 K-12 schools with Distance Learning systems by 2010. The
Ministry also encouraged 68 top universities to offer Distance Learning
degrees to further encourage educational development among the country's
population. Finally, the 11th fifth year plan calls on science and
technology to speed up development in education, making the Distance
Learning industry a top priority in China. Such an emphasis on
technology and education in a country with over 111,000,000 reported
Internet users and a growth rate of 393.3% ('05-'06) is enticing to say
the least. US companies should nevertheless operate in China with
caution, as the country poses significant challenges and in most cases
requires strong local partners with the right relationships and
connections.

*Higher Education Institution Distance Learning Overview*: In China
there are 68 online universities and 2.3 million registered students
studying for their degrees. In addition, over 97.2% of Chinese
universities have an intranet system in place. However, problems still
remain with exchanging information among schools.

*Corporate and Professional Distance Learning Overview:* Overseas
training, English and other languages, certification training,
management and information technology courses are in high demand.

[]{.mark}

*The above is an excerpt from a report prepared in 2006 by the U.S.
Commercial Service in China.*

###### FEATURED ARTICLE: Electronic Education Fair

**Electronic Education Fair Promotes United States as Higher Education
Destination to Chinese and Indian Students**

***A multimedia campaign launched in China in November 2006 marks the
first step in a U.S. government initiative designed to promote higher
education opportunities in the United States. The campaign expands to
India in 2007.***

The Department of Commerce, in partnership with the Department of State,
has embarked on an innovative campaign to promote U.S. higher education
opportunities to students in China and India. The purpose of the
Electronic Education Fairs for China and India is to inform Chinese and
Indian students who are interested in studying outside of their home
countries about the breadth and depth of the higher education
opportunities available in the United States. The target market includes
the students themselves, their parents, teachers and advisors.

In China, the education campaign is officially known as the U.S.
Electronic Education Fair for China, or, in Chinese, Liu Xue USA ("Study
Abroad USA"). Never before have U.S. Government agencies and industry
partnered to create such an innovative, multimedia approach to promote
study abroad opportunities in the United States. The initiative has
reached more than 180 million people in China through the use of
television, the Internet, and on-the-ground activities. These activities
include the following:

-   Two documentary-style, 23 minute television programs and two-minute
    shorts broadcast on local and national television channels in China;

-   An Internet landing page
    ([www.liuxueusa.cn](http://www.liuxueusa.cn/)) that provides
    prospective students with additional information about studying in
    the United States as well as a chance to watch the videos;

-   18,000 DVDs of the programming, which are being distributed at
    education fairs and through the network of EducationUSA advising
    centers throughout China.

Filming for the television programming, which utilizes a peer-to-peer
approach and features Chinese students talking about their experiences
studying in the United States, took place at 13 diverse U.S. colleges
and universities. Accredited U.S. institutions were also invited to
purchase space on the Chinese Internet landing page
([www.liuxueusa.cn](http://www.liuxueusa.cn/)) in order to increase
their visibility and to provide more information about their schools. A
similar approach will be followed for India.

[For Further Information]{.underline}

Jennifer Moll, U.S. Department of Commerce. Tel: (248) 508-8404

Keith Roth, U.S. Department of Commerce. Tel: (202) 482-5012

*By:*

*Ana Guevara, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Services, U.S. Department of
Commerce*

*And*

*Jennifer Moll, International Trade Specialist, Office of Service
Industries, U.S. Department of Commerce*

###### NEW MARKET RESEARCH

*Our specialists abroad develop market research to help you evaluate
markets for your educational services. Research ranges from*

*short reports on areas of opportunity to detailed market and industry
reports. Below are a few examples of our recent*

> *market research reports available at NO COST. They can be found on
> our website, [www.export.gov](http://www.export.gov/) or by contacting
> your local office.*

**Detailed Country Reports:**

-   **France Country Commercial Guide- Education Services Spring 2007\
    **

-   **Philippines International Student Recruitment May 2007\
    **

-   **Turkey The Private Education Institutions Law is Changed February
    2007\
    **

-   **Malaysia Upgrading of Public University Colleges to Universities
    January 2007\
    **

###### PROMOTIONAL EVENTS

*The U.S. Department of Commerce develops and/or supports promotional
fairs abroad at which U.S. educational institutions can recruit
international students and meet with educational multipliers and agents.
Events include trade missions, promotional fairs and educational
seminars. Below is a list of our upcoming programs.*

-   **June 6-10, 2007:** The U.S. Commercial Service \"Study USA\" fair
    **/Tel Aviv, Israel**

The U.S. Commercial Service at the American Embassy in Israel is
organizing a \"Study USA\" fair for this coming June 6, 7 and 10, 2007
at the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds. This January\'s fair attracted over 28,000
visitors, which makes it one of the biggest educational events in the
world. We expect the same in June!  Participating schools included
Harvard, Yale, Brandeis, Washington University, University of
Connecticut and Michigan State. If for any reason you are unable to
attend in person, I encourage you to leverage your alumni network in
Israel so as not to miss out on this great opportunity. For more
information, please use the following link:
<http://www.buyusa.gov/israel/en/studyusa.html>

-   **June 11-12, 2007:** Americas Competitiveness Forum/ **Atlanta,
    Georgia**\
    *Inaugural Event on Competitiveness in the Western Hemisphere*

U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez invites you to
participate in the Americas Competitiveness Forum.  Seldom will
international education providers have the opportunity to contribute to
a lively dialogue with distinguished leaders (including minister-level
officials) and experts from across the hemisphere on how to compete in
the global marketplace!  You will also hear directly from U.S. Secretary
of Education Margaret Spellings. During the conference you will have a
voice in how to create solutions in education and workforce development,
spark and sustain innovation, design successful global supply chain
strategies and foster small business development and growth.  In
addition, you will learn from 13 Senior Commercial Officers offering
insights and have access to one-on-one meetings following the
conference. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your educational
institution's or company's strategy to thrive in an increasingly
competitive environment for international education providers. For more
information or to register for the conference, please use the following
link:
[http://trade.gov/competitiveness/acf/index.asp](https://webmail.sas.upenn.edu/horde/util/go.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrade.gov%2Fcompetitiveness%2Facf%2Findex.asp&Horde=f28742566e9d2ed18d1a3a6276a13321)

-   **July 15, 2007:** *Experiences* Singapore/ **Singapore**

Singaporean students studying at more than 30 renowned colleges and
universities in North America organize EXPERIENCES, an annual U.S.
education fair in Singapore since 2000. The fair reaches out to students
and parents, educates them on U.S. education and shares insights on
studying in the U.S. There were 50 university booths and 3000 visitors
during the one-day event in Singapore last year. For more information on
this event, please visit the following website:
[www.experiences-sg.org](http://www.experiences-sg.org/)

[Participation in this event is free]{.underline} although the
organizers would appreciate some nominal sponsorship. Both the American
Embassies led by the Commercial Service in Singapore and Malaysia will
be supporting this event that promotes U.S. education. You can either
send your international recruiter, alumni or students coming back for
the summer to staff your university booth.

-   **July 22, 2007:** Discover U.S. Education/ **Kuala Lumpur,
    Malaysia**

Malaysian alumni and students of U.S. colleges and universities organize
DISCOVER U.S. EDUCATION, the largest annual U.S. education fair in
Malaysia since 2006. The fair reaches out to students and parents,
educates them on U.S. education and shares insights on studying in the
U.S. There were 43 university booths and 4,000 visitors during the
one-day event in Malaysia last year. For more information on this event,
please visit the following website:
[www.discoveruseducation.org](http://www.discoveruseducation.org/)

[Participation in this event is free]{.underline} although the
organizers would appreciate some nominal sponsorship. Both the American
Embassies led by the Commercial Service in Singapore and Malaysia will
be supporting this event that promotes U.S. education. You can either
send your international recruiter, alumni or students coming back for
the summer to staff your university booth.

-   **September 30 & October** **1, 2007:** U.S. Embassy Education Fair
    2007 / **Ottawa, Ontario**, **Canada**

Participating in the US Embassy University Fair will provide you with
excellent networking opportunities to meet representatives from
Ottawa\'s prestigious universities, colleges (public and private),
technical colleges, public and private training institutions, as well as
the diplomatic community. Ottawa represents the second largest city in
terms of student enrollment in the province of Ontario, with a student
population surpassing 57,000 at the university level, and 40,000 at the
technical college level. Considering facts such as Canada\'s per capita
income of US\$35,000 (US\$43,00 in the Province of Ontario), the
Canadian dollar\'s steady appreciation to the U.S. dollar for the last
three consecutive years, the country's proximity to the US, and a shared
language, Canada is an attractive market for recruiters in the education
arena. For more information about the event please contact: Luz
Betancur, Commercial Assistant at 613-688-5216, email:
<luz.betancur@mail.doc.gov>

-   **February 9-14th, 2008:** ISN Certified Education Mission to Gulf
    Countries- <http://www.isnexpo.com/gulf.html>

> Locations include: Kuwait City, Kuwait-February 9, 2008\
> Abu Dhabi, UAE-February 11, 2008\
> Dubai, UAE-February 12, 2008\
> Manama, Bahrain-February 14, 2008

-   **Online Showcase of U.S. Schools / Italy**

The Department of Commerce has also developed an Italian section on its
website dedicated to studying in the U.S. This is the most popular
section of the site and can be found by typing into Google's search
engine "studiare negli Stati Uniti," Italian for "study in the United
States." The page provides information, written in Italian, on U.S.
schools as well as links to their websites.  To further improve and
expand this section of the website, schools are encouraged to send
100-word descriptions of their institutions (translation is not
necessary), as well as their contact information and primary website
addresses.  For more information, please see the following link:
<http://www.buyusa.gov/italy/it/studiare.html>

*Updated information on upcoming events can also be found at*
[www.buyusa.gov/studyusa](http://www.buyusa.gov/studyusa).

###### MORE INFORMATION

For more information on any of the programs and market research
mentioned please complete the following, check the boxes

next to newsletter items of interest and fax or e-mail this document to
the contact listed on the top of the first page.

Your Name Organization

Title E-mail address

Telephone Fax Number