BEIJING - The Chinese government will expand overseas Chinese-language education to better cater for rising interest in China and its language worldwide, according to a speech by an official on Monday.

The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council (OCAO) will cooperate with foreign education authorities to position Chinese-language education as a mainstream education choice abroad, said Li Haifeng, the OCAO director, at a meeting attended by overseas Chinese social organizations from across the world.

The OCAO will train more teachers for overseas Chinese-language education, striving to integrate it with local cultures and develop more online and multi-media teaching materials to meet the diversified demands of overseas youngsters, said Li.

Chinese-language education is an important way to inherit Chinese culture, the official said. The OCAO has trained nearly 17,000 teachers for overseas education since 2010, and has helped more than 270 overseas schools or education organizations improve teaching facilities.

In the next five years, the OCAO will invite 100,000 overseas Chinese youths back to China to participate in summer or winter camps and "seek their roots," said Li.

Such camps have attracted more than 40,000 overseas Chinese youths since 2010, he added.