With a long history of educational exchanges between China and France, cooperation in the education sector will play an increasing role in promoting the development of Sino-French relations, an official with the Ministry of Education said.

Yang Dan, director of the Ministry's Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, said recently that China will continue supporting Sino-French educational and cultural collaboration and will take steps to encourage more French students and scholars to come to China.

France was one of the first Western countries to engage in educational exchanges with China. In 1877, the Foochow Shipbuilding Institution in Fujian province sent the first batch of government-sponsored students to European countries, including France, to study advanced technology and enhance their skills in shipbuilding and navigation.

From March 1919 to the end of 1920, nearly 1,800 young students went to France in 20 batches, working while studying to seek ways to transform China. Among them were Chinese revolutionary pioneers, including Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yi.

Over 46,000 Chinese students are now pursuing studies in France, while more than 1,500 French students are enrolled in Chinese institutions, according to the ministry.

Today, Chinese courses are being offered from primary school to the university level in France. Meanwhile, the French language is also being taught at different levels in China, although the number of students learning French at primary schools is relatively low, according to the ministry.

An event promoting educational collaboration between the two nations, the Sino-French Education Development Forum, begins in Paris on Friday.

At the forum, top education officials and higher education representatives from the two countries will discuss topics such as the two-way flow of students and sign new cooperative agreements between their universities.