SOFIA - Nearly 30 universities and schools from Shanghai participated here on Friday in 2013 Education Fair Shanghai China, in a bid to attract the interest of Bulgarian students.

The one-day event, taking place in the National Palace of Culture, was jointly organized by Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, Chinese embassy in Sofia, Bulgarian Travel and Investment Development Centre in China (BTIDCC) and Bulgarian Consulate in Shanghai.

"The purpose of our visit here is to present to the Bulgarian audience the state of education in Shanghai, and to attract the interest of Bulgarian students," Yang Weiren, head of Chinese delegation and Director of International Cooperation and Exchange Division at Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, said at the opening ceremony.

Last year, in Shanghai 51,000 foreign students, 59 of them Bulgarians, were educated, Yang said.

Among the Bulgarian students, 11 received scholarships from the Chinese government and five studied with scholarships from the Shanghai government, he added.

"The number of Bulgarian students in Shanghai is too low, we invite more Bulgarian young people to come to Shanghai, and we intend to provide more scholarships," Yang said.

Yuan Jigang, head of the education section at the Chinese embassy in Sofia, said he was confident that this exhibition would certainly encourage communication and cooperation between Bulgaria and China in the field of education.

"We warmly welcome excellent Bulgarian school and university students to study in Shanghai, China, use the rich resources of education and the favorable conditions for training, increase their knowledge and abilities, learn about the ancient history of China, and to feel the infinite charm of modern China," Yuan said.

Ivan Todorov, Chairman of BTIDCC, said economic relations between the two countries would need to be supported by exchange in education systems and exchanges between universities.

"The organization of this fair is a very important step in the development of these processes," he said.

Todor Chobanov, Deputy Mayor of Sofia, said they were convinced that relations between the two cities and the two countries would truly develop, only after they begin to stress on education.

Krastio Belev, a representative of the Bulgarian Consulate in Shanghai, said education in China was valuable and worthwhile. "I was educated in China, and my two children are studying in China. This shows that I also believe in this education," Belev said.