INSTEAD of flocking to universities in the United States and Britain, consider China.

Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman Eddie Teo wants to encourage more young people to take up its new scholarship that will send them to top universities there.

With China on the rise, he notes: 'We should have our future public servants studying and networking with the best and the brightest there, so that in future, they know each other when they assume positions of power and authority.'

The new China scholarship, launched for next year's batch of students, comprises a four-year undergraduate programme in China, followed by a two-year master's degree anywhere in the world.

Currently, the PSC Overseas Merit Scholarship and its Master's Scholarship already enable students to study in non-English-medium countries such as China.

Each year, about eight head to China. Most are on teaching scholarships.

They study subjects such as economics, international relations, political science, engineering and science, as well as Chinese language and literature, at universities such as Beijing, Qinghua and Fudan.

Returning scholarship holders work in areas such as international affairs and China-related jobs, or teaching and curriculum planning in the case of those on teaching scholarships.

The country-specific China scholarship is the latest addition to nine other scholarships that the PSC administers.

Those who qualify will attend a preparatory Chinese language course and have an internship in China. They will be bonded for five years.

Will the young take up the offer, given their preference for Western universities?

'It's going to be a challenge,' Mr Teo admits. 'But as China progresses...they will realise that that is a very vibrant place to be in.'

Some political commentators, he adds, are already projecting a multipolar world, very different from the present unipolar American-dominated one.

'You can bet that in a multipolar or non-polar world, China will figure prominently,' he says.

'Our young should realise, and should believe and accept, that studying in China is an advantage, not a disadvantage.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on 1 Dec, 2008.