ULAN BATOR, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The Sino-Mongolian Foundation of Culture, Education and Social Development here on Friday offered scholarships to 37 Mongolian students.

"China-Mongolia relations and cooperation have been expanding rapidly in a wide range of areas, including education," Yang Qingdong, minister counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Mongolia, said at the awarding ceremony.

"I am confident that (the) Mongolian students who have won Chinese scholarships will greatly contribute to the further development of bilateral relations and cooperation," Yang said.

The "Dream Star" and "Future Star" scholarship programs sponsored by the foundation and backed by the Chinese embassy in Mongolia and other Chinese institutions and enterprises are meant for secondary school students. Around 280 Mongolian students participated in a competition for the programs on March 10.

Under the "Dream Star", seven low-income students with good academic performance each received 2,000 yuan (298.5 U.S. dollars).

Within the framework of the "Future Star" scholarship program, a total of 30 outstanding students each received 3,000 yuan (447.8 dollars).

"I have been studying Chinese for 10 years. I have a dream to study business economics in a Chinese university," said Dariimaa Barkhasbaatar, a 10th-grade student of Ui Tsai school in Ulan Bator, who received Chinese scholarship for the first time.

The foundation has been extending scholarships to Mongolian students since 2014. A total of 412 secondary school students in the country have benefited from the two scholarship programs.