[Mr Sang Peng]

President of BOSSA (Beijing Overseas-Study Service Association)

First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Sungho Han, President of KOSA and Mr. Guiljun Yang, the organizer of this conference for inviting me and giving me this opportunity to meet with colleagues and friends from countries around the world.

The Beijing Overseas-Study Service Association was founded in 2004 by a group of certified study abroad agencies. BOSSA is a non-profit membership organization officially registered with the Beijing Department of Civil Affairs. BOSSA is recognized by the Ministry of Education of China and the Beijing Education Commission, and is the only independent organization of this nature established in China. BOSSA has a membership of 69 members, including study abroad agencies, financial agencies, and insurance agencies. Over the past three years, BOSSA's members have placed over 50% of Chinese students studying abroad, and placed more than 120,000 students in 2011 alone.

With the global economy rapidly developing, particularly in Asia, the number of students wishing to study abroad has tremendously increased over the past few years. Take China for example: last year, over 340,000 students studied abroad. Asia has become the biggest global exporting source of students, and should therefore hold more leverage in the field.

We are gathering here today to explore and discuss issues of common interest. I believe that the upcoming conference and working sessions will help us find solutions to problems that our students encounter. We'll also be able to share our best practices and collaborate with our Asian neighbors to improve study abroad services for students both in and beyond this region.

On behalf of BOSSA, I wish this Conference a great success. I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome you to come and visit China!

Thank you.