As China's influence grows in Africa and South, Central and Southeast Asia, more students from these regions are studying in the country, according to a blue book of global talent compiled by the Center for China and Globalization, a think tank in Beijing.

Studying in China is becoming a popular choice for students from a number of Central Asia countries such as Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, which lie along the routes of the proposed Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, the blue book said.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road - collectively known as the Belt and Road Initiative - are transport infrastructure projects designed to link Asia and Europe that were proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013.