A student listens to an online course by Tsinghua University. (Photo: chinadaily.com.cn)

BEIJING -- The international versions of two Chinese online teaching platforms have provided 505 free courses in English to students in more than 100 countries, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said Thursday.

The international versions of xuetangX and iCourse, launched by the MOE in the first half of this year, have also provided educational solutions to international university students facing the suspension of classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Wu Yan, an official with the ministry.

Wu added that over 1 million Chinese teachers have provided about 1.1 million online courses, attracting nearly 22.6 million university students during the spring semester this year.

He also noted that China will hold the first global conference on massive open online courses in November this year, contributing its online teaching experience on a larger scale and at a higher level.