The University of New South Wales Sydney continues to see continuing and growing demand from Chinese students in the future as a reflection of China's interest in high-quality education, said Laurie Pearcey, pro vice-chancellor (international), UNSW Sydney.

The Chinese student population from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan has grown from 5,000 in 2012 to more than 15,000 today, he said.

"That's a great achievement, which we are very proud of. We celebrate this year 40 years of welcoming students from Chinese mainland, and the first student from China to arrive at UNSW was in 1952, so we have been receiving students from China since we were a baby — three years young."

The disciplines that Chinese students choose to study at UNSW include engineering, business, and computer science, and the interest of Chinese students in other disciplines has grown greatly recently, he said.

UNSW is also proud of its Confucius Institute, which was established 10 years ago in partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, he said.

The Confucius Institute was an important development in the university's broad partnership with China. It enabled the university to grow its relationship with SJTU and made important contributions to build Chinese literacy, he added.

Ian Jacobs, president and vice-chancellor of UNSW Sydney, said: "We see language education provided by the Confucius Institute and understanding of culture between China and Australia as of critical importance for the future of both countries."

Fiona Docherty, vice-president of external relations, said there has been a huge increase in interest from young Australians wishing to spend time in China and understand the amazing country in its cultural, economic and social aspects.

The Confucius Institute has been able to support its language training, and offer students the opportunity to spend time in China while working on their degrees, she said.

China overtook the United States two years ago as the top destination for students in UNSW to go overseas and the Confucius Institute, through study tours and language training, has been instrumental in ensuring China is a popular choice for UNSW students, Pearcey added.