Currently, the 10 countries most-favored by Southeast Asian countries especially Indonesians to further their education are Australia, United States, Malaysia, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Singapore and China. Mainland China has now become a popular choice to study, especially for Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. This is emphasized in the increasing number of students studying in China.

Why China is so popular this day? In my opinion, here is why.

Firstly, study abroad in China provides opportunities for international students to view things from the Chinese perspective. Merging the knowledge of both China and their home countries will give students an advantage to explore potential opportunities in China for the future. China also has become one of the most popular study abroad destinations because of its long history and exciting cultures.

There are many scholarships from the government, universities, foundations and corporations designed to support international students from different academic disciplines. International students can receive educations in English taught program which is a good option for international students who want to study in degree program in China, but don't want to spend two extra years in Chinese language program.

After the government has adjusted the visa policy for foreign nationals, international students are now allowed to work part-time or take on internships while they are studying in China. International students in China with a residence permit are allowed to take part-time jobs or internships outside the campus as long as they obtain approval from their academic institutions and the entry and exit administrative authorities.

According to data from the Indonesian Embassy in China, the number of Indonesian students studying in China in 2018 reached 14,233 people. The number increased by 9.48% compared to the position in 2016 which totaled 13 thousand inhabitants, so that Indonesian students are in 7th place for the highest number of international students in China. There are also 9,500 Malaysian per March 2019 studying in China, according to data released by the embassy of China in Malaysia, as well as the students from Thailand.

And also according to the China Education Exhibition (CEE), the number of Indonesian students in China has increased 10 percent annually over the past several years. Not only Chinese languages are the most popular among these international students, but not a few also pursuing even higher studies. The sum of Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral students are also plenty, as for the majors vary from the economic sector, technology, electronics, engineering, medical, literature, and so on.

Whether the increasing number of Indonesian students in China has to do with the famous Indonesian phrase "Seek knowledge to the land of China" or not, but one to be sure, Chinese civilization has been recognized by the world for hundreds of years BC. The science of medicine to cure diseases, the use of paper money has existed since the 12th century. In fact, China has now become one of the technological progress countries other than the USA and European countries and has begin to become the largest economy in the world.