Photo credit: Xiamen University Malaysia
Chinese universities are showing a renewed effort towards international expansion to further their goal of becoming a global leader in education. This initiative was intensely discussed by education officials at the two concurrent sessions of the National People’s Congress (NPC) which took place in Beijing from March 4th to the 11th — China’s parliament, and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
The Chinese government stressed its ambition to become an education powerhouse by 2035 and expressed their expectations to see significant progress towards this goal by 2027. Their plans included Chinese universities expanding their global footprint by founding new campus branches, establishing partnerships with universities overseas, and expanding digital education.
Xiamen University's Malaysia campus, which was opened in 2016 as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, is just one example. Over 8,700 students from nearly 50 countries study at this branch campus today, and it has already produced more than 6,200 graduates. Zhang Rong, Party Secretary of Xiamen University and an NPC delegate, said that conditions for Chinese universities to open branches overseas are becoming more favorable as international cooperation becomes stronger and stronger.
Chinese universities have been speeding up their global activities since the lull induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. At present, 22 Chinese universities have established overseas campuses, most of which are in Asia. For example, Beijing Language and Culture University has an Astana branch in Kazakhstan and is intending to provide a complete series of undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs there. This is a sign of China's growing educational ties with Central Asia, driven by broader geopolitical and economic partnerships.
Even as efforts to establish a presence in Western countries have encountered difficulties, China is pressing ahead with more global engagement. The scheme for a European campus by Fudan University, under the banner of the Belt and Road Initiative, was greeted with protests and subsequently canceled due to political demands. But Fudan has looked to Southeast Asia, where it is working in partnership with Malaysia's state of Sarawak to establish a medical research center and a medical school branch campus.
China is also leveraging online education to project its global growth. The 2020 Tsinghua Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance has grown to 16 member universities and seven online education platforms from across the globe, including strategic collaborations like the UK-based FutureLearn platform. It comes under China's overall agenda to solidify its global leadership in technology-enabled education governance and online platforms.
With rising investment in Chinese and foreign education, its presence in the global education market is likely to increase, driven by strategic partnerships, expansion of branch campuses, and integrating digital platforms to enhance learning experience across borders.