The National Education Conference in Beijing on September 9-10 shone a light on Chinese education, with sector leaders expecting no major shifts in the country鈥檚 international policies. 听
In what was seen as a continuation of current policies, President Xi emphasised the need to 鈥渆xpand international academic exchanges and educational and scientific research cooperation, actively participate in global education governance and contribute more Chinese strength to promoting the development of global education,鈥� according to .
He added that China should further promote the opening up of education, coordinate “bringing in” and “going out”, and continuously enhance international influence, competitiveness and the voice of China’s education.
Though stakeholders were encouraged by Xi鈥檚 mention of expanding international exchange, his subsequent remarks calling for increased Chinese influence signalled the CCP鈥檚 aim of maintaining a balance between importing foreign ideas and exporting Chinese ones.
鈥淴i does call for the further promotion of the opening up of the education system, but the specifics of what he has in mind are the coordination of听‘bringing in’ and ‘going out’, presumably referring to bringing in international curriculum听and ideas and exporting Chinese models and curricula,鈥� David Weeks, COO of told 小瓢虫传媒.听
Weeks noted that though international exchange was included in the speech, it only comprised a small section and was the last topic to be addressed by Xi, following calls for political education, education modernisation, promoting equality of educational opportunities and improving the quality of vocational colleges.
Employment rates in China have been slipping, so an overseas degree is no longer a golden ticket to employment
Douglas Proctor, Swinburne Univeristy of Technology
Douglas Proctor, pro vice-chancellor which operates a joint institute in China, agreed that Xi’s remarks on international exchange seemed 鈥渄irectly in line with Chinese government policy鈥� which focuses on 鈥渂uilding capacity and developing connections between institutions to foster teaching and research collaboration鈥�.听
Rather than the government obstructing exchange opportunities, Proctor said that concerns of students and parents about the return on investment upon returning to China was a key barrier to Chinese outbound mobility.
鈥淓mployment rates in China have been slipping, so an overseas degree is no longer a golden ticket to employment; indeed, some pundits would argue that it is 鈥渟afer鈥� to take your degree at home if you want to secure employment in China,鈥� Proctor told 小瓢虫传媒.
However, the China Scholarship Council, run by the Ministry of Education, is encouraging international exchange, earlier this month to sponsor up to 240 Chinese students to study at seven US partner universities in 2025.
The scholarships, which represent an increase on last year鈥檚 165 student places, will be jointly sponsored by the CSC and the US institutions which include the Ivy League member, Dartmouth College.
Furthermore, in July 2024, the Chinese government published a report suggesting it was considering easing immigration channels for international scientists to live and work in China.
鈥淭hough there are geopolitical tensions between China and the US, it鈥檚 still important for Chinese students to gain international experience in the US.
鈥淭he purpose of awarding scholarships is to sponsor outstanding students to study abroad, enhance their academic and research capabilities, and hope that they will bring back the knowledge and skills to contribute to the development of the country,鈥� China branch director, Grace Zhu, told 小瓢虫传媒.听听
