The Philippines aims to sustain its promotional efforts in the 1.3 billion China market by attracting Chinese with the RP’s education services such as medical and language programs, the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) reported.

　　For the third time, the Philippines will participate in the 6th China Education Expo (CEE), the largest and most prestigious education fair in the said country, officially sponsored by the Ministry of Education and organized by the China Education Association for International Exchange.? It highlighted 376 companies-recognized schools, training centers, professional associations, and other education service providers-from 29 countries, and attracted 39, 000 visitors last year.

　　Four educational institutions will be part of this years' Philippine delegation, namely Enderun Colleges Inc., New England College, Royal Institute of Higher Education Inc. (RIHED), and Technological University of the Philippines (TUP).

　　Enderun Colleges Inc. is an international school which offers bachelor's degree and non-degree courses in the fields of hotel and restaurant management and culinary arts while New England College is a private school that provides courses in nursing, education, and information technology and review programs in English proficiency. RIHED is an education solutions provider which is registered with the Ministry of Education of Singapore and offers all of the courses of their Strategic Education Partners (SEP).? TUP, on the other hand, is a state university for courses in engineering, engineering technology, industrial education, science, and architecture.

　　“CEE will not only provide a unique platform for Philippine educational institutions to promote their service capacity in China, but it will also help update our education industry on the latest trends and technology developments,” said Trade Assistant Secretary and CITEM Executive Director Fe Agoncillo-Reyes.

　　China recognizes that education plays a key role in maintaining its globally-competitive service industries. According to China Education and Research Network, it is the world's largest market for international education, with a total of 548 billion Yuan (RMB) as the education expenditure in 2002 alone.

　　There are 3 to 5 million Chinese eager to pursue education outside abroad.? ChinaSite.com reported that many of them pursue English language education and foreign exchange programs to further enhance its membership in the World Trade Organization and to prepare for the 2008 Olympic Games as the host country.

　　"With the remarkable opportunities that China is offering, we should make sure that Philippine education service providers will highlight their expertise and skills in the CEE in order to meet potential clients and partners," added Reyes while mentioning the CEE's business matching program that will surely create a unique environment for breaking ground for the world's largest market.

　　To date, the Philippines is the third largest English-speaking nation in the world, with a 93.9% literacy rate as of 2005.

　　It is also included in the APEC Engineer Registry citing the professional qualifications of Filipino engineering graduates.? Furthermore, the country is among the counties which made it to the "White List" of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), certifying that Philippine maritime institutions have passed the standards of training, certification, and watch keeping for seafarers.

　　Likewise, the Philippines is home to a number of ISO-certified universities and 275 higher education institutions identified by the government as Centers of Excellence and Centers of Development.

(责任编辑：杨琳)