How China has been transforming international education to become a leading host of students

When Australians think of international education and China, they typically consider the country as a source of international students — Australia’s largest. But China is now one of the leading host countries of international students in the world. China’s level of international education policymaking over the past decade, backed up by strategic priorities, has been unprecedented.

My recently published research shows Chinese universities are learning to reconcile the different forces of local, national and global demands. They aim to: calibrate to the Chinese government’s grand scheme of national rejuvenation, expand their global reach and market influence, enhance their professional impact and managerial efficiency, respond to the community repercussions of growing numbers of international students.

China was on the way to becoming a top destination for studying abroad well before the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2018, 492,185 international students from 196 countriesstudied in mainland China. They were enrolled in 1,004 higher education institutions.

Read more