BEIJING -- China has forged agreements with 54 countries on mutual recognition of qualifications and academic degrees in higher education, a Ministry of Education (MOE) official said Saturday.

China has also established educational cooperation and exchange with 188 countries and regions and 46 international organizations, said Liu Jin, director of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges of the MOE.

China is the world's largest source of international students, with about 1.4 million Chinese now studying abroad, Liu said at a forum of the ongoing 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing.

Meanwhile, an increasing number of foreign students choose to study in China. The Chinese government has set up the "Silk Road" scholarship program to help train talents for countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, the director added.

Liu said despite the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, China will further deepen cooperation and exchange with other countries in the education sector.

The 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services opened on Friday. A total of 18,000 enterprises and institutions from 148 countries and regions and about 100,000 people have registered for the fair.