ISLAMABAD, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese embassy in Pakistan on Thursday awarded scholarships from the Chinese government to 140 Pakistani students to study in Chinese universities for the academic year of 2018-2019.

The scholarship awarding ceremony was held at the Chinese embassy in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, which was attended by students, teachers, scholars and officials from the two sides.

The selected students will leave for China next month for their degrees in different fields, including studies of China's history and culture, medicine, information technology, environmental science, Chinese language teaching and international economic and trade.

The students will study in different universities in different regions of the country.

Minister-counsellor of the Chinese Embassy Zhao Lijian congratulated the students on their achievement of becoming the pride of their family and for the country.

"China is offering the largest number of scholarships to Pakistani students. At least 7,000 Pakistani students were studying on scholarships in China in 2017," said Zhao, adding that over 1,000 Pakistanis are awarded scholarships every year by the Chinese government, universities, local governments, companies and others.

Zhao told students that they would feel like home in China because the Chinese government and society both are ready to welcome and facilitate them in their stay for studies in China.

Executive Director of Higher Education Commission of Pakistan Arshad Ali told the audience that Pakistani parents and teachers like to send students to China because Chinese universities are of the international standard as of Europe and the United States.

The Pakistani official urged the students to attain maximum benefits from their study period in China besides learning of Chinese language and culture.

Abdul Rafih, who is going for the master degree in information and communications engineering, told Xinhua that it is a great opportunity because education is very expensive and after getting the scholarship it has made possible for him to achieve his dream of getting higher education from China.

Another student Aisha Kisana, who has got a scholarship to study Chinese history and culture in Fudan University, said it is a very comprehensive scholarship program which provides medical insurance, accommodation and stipends.

"Many of us who are living in Pakistan, who come from middle-income families, cannot afford to study abroad. It is something very beneficial for Pakistani students," she said.