SHANGHAI, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) said Saturday it has launched a Chinese registration system for its globally taken Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), making Chinese the first language used in registration other than English.

The Chinese system can help save registration time and avoid mistakes during the registration process.

GMAT's move accommodates a rising number of Chinese test takers and the increasing importance of the Chinese market in international business management education.

In 2016, Chinese people took nearly 70,000 GMAT exams worldwide. Over 50,000 Chinese people took tests in GMAT centers on the Chinese mainland, increasing 12 percent year on year. GMAC added another seven test centers last year.

More than 6,500 business and management graduate programs in the global universities have listed GMAT as one of its admission requirements, including six schools in China.