A flight carrying hundreds of students to Belfast from Beijing has become the first of several expected to be chartered by British universities to bring a record number of Chinese people into the country to study.
More than 24,000 Chinese students sought admission to British universities this year, up by 23 per cent, of which 8,570 were accepted, a rise of 14 per cent.
The increase in numbers has been welcomed by universities, which had expected a shortfall in overseas students this year, and affirms the results of a recent survey that showed the UK to have overtaken the US as the most desirable destination for Chinese students.
With global travel crippled by the pandemic, however, more universities are following Belfast’s lead and have chartered
