WELLINGTON, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- A ministerial delegation of New Zealand universities and tertiary education providers will promote New Zealand's education offering at one of the largest international education events in China.

At the China Annual Conference & Expo for International Education (CACIE) 2025, due to open on Oct. 29, the delegation led by New Zealand's Universities and Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Shane Reti will highlight the strength of New Zealand's education system and its close partnerships with China, a government statement said on Friday.

New Zealand is the Country of Honor of this year's CACIE, which is expected to attract over 35,000 participants worldwide.

China is New Zealand's largest source of international students, with over 22,000 Chinese students enrolled for study in the first term of 2025 in New Zealand, the minister said.

"Education is a key aspect of the New Zealand-China relationship, built on enduring partnerships that have grown over the years," Reti said, adding the two countries deepened their education links through student exchanges, institutional partnerships, and joint research that benefit both countries.

In the year ending June 2025, New Zealand earned 1.43 billion NZ dollars (820 million U.S. dollars) from Chinese students coming here to study, and education travel accounted for 47 percent of all services New Zealand exported to China, government statistics show.

China is also New Zealand's fourth-largest partner in scientific co-publications and one of its key research, science and innovation collaborators, said Reti, who will meet with Chinese science and technology officials during this visit. ■