As regards educational cooperation and exchanges, China's partners include some international organizations: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nation's Population Fund (UNFPA), World Bank, as well as some regional organizations like Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Asia-Europe Foundation, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) etc.

Since the early 1980s, China has been carrying out extensive cooperative and collaborative projects with the above-mentioned agencies in the field of pre-school education, basic education, higher education, teachers training, vocational education, distance education, as well as textbook development for primary and secondary schools, teaching tools development, demographic research, HRD research, etc.

The Division of International Organizations in the Department for International Cooperation and Exchanges, MOE has the following functions:

Mapping out plans for educational cooperation and exchanges with the international organizations;

Co-Drafting joint projects papers, implementing, monitoring and evaluating projects and coordinating relevant sectors for the projects;

Reviewing and approving the applications from MOE staff for attending international conference abroad;

Reviewing and approving the participation of college and middle school students in international sports events abroad.

The joint educational projects between China and international organizations include: Strengthen Educational Planning and Management (with UNICEF), Adjust Education Content and Process (with UNICEF), Improve Basic Education in Poor Areas (with UNICEF), Improve 9-Year Compulsory Education in Poor Areas Focusing on Girls Students (with UNDP), Improve Teacher Quality in the Western Poor Areas through Distance Education and ICT (with UNDP); Create Better Proficiency Schools and Improve School Management and Teaching Quality by Monitoring (with APEC Secretariat) etc.