Building Global Influence Through Offshore Campuses and Digital Expansion
Attracting and Retaining Talent Amid Geopolitical Tensions
Enhancing Domestic Higher Education to Meet Strategic National Goals

Building Global Influence Through Offshore Campuses and Digital Expansion

China has been making a concerted effort to broaden its global education presence in order to establish itself as a dominant education juggernaut by 2035.  The country's dedication to expanding its international educational influence was underscored by the recent Two Sessions meetings, which included the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).  China is utilizing talent acquisition strategies, digital education, collaborative programs, and branch campuses to enhance its global academic reputation, despite the fact that it is confronted with geopolitical challenges.

China has already made substantial progress in the establishment of offshore campuses in order to globalize its higher education system.  To expand their student body, twenty-two Chinese universities have established campuses in Asia.  Beijing Language and Culture University has recently established a branch in Astana, Kazakhstan. The NPC delegation and Uzbekistan's president are currently in discussions regarding the establishment of Chinese university branches in Uzbekistan. Shenzhen University's Tokyo College in Japan offers degrees in Chinese language, business administration, and information sciences.  Nevertheless, political opposition has impeded China's expansion into Western nations.  For example, Hungary's public opposition resulted in the abandonment of Fudan University's Budapest campus project, which was valued at US$1.8 billion.  However, Fudan is currently in the process of establishing a medical school in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia, that will concentrate on the study of traditional and integrated medicine.

China's educational collaborations are still being impeded by geopolitical tensions, despite its global ambitions.  Although offshore campuses are significant, Sino-foreign collaborative programs within China continue to dominate, with 2,657 active partnerships.  Nevertheless, certain American universities are severing their connections with certain institutions of higher education due to concerns regarding national security. For instance, the University of Michigan terminated its 20-year partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the University of California, Berkeley severed its relationship with the Tsinghua Berkeley Shenzhen Institute in response to political pressure. China is endeavoring to fortify educational partnerships that extend beyond the conventional Western allies, with a particular emphasis on Africa, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Attracting and Retaining Talent Amid Geopolitical Tensions

In the context of U.S. reductions in graduate program funding, China is not only prioritizing outbound educational expansion but also attracting talent.  Top Chinese universities are now providing direct PhD admissions to students studying abroad in response to the decreasing number of opportunities for Chinese students in the United States.  Examples include the program introduced by Fudan University in 2022, which enables overseas Chinese undergraduates to directly enroll in PhD programs, and comparable initiatives introduced by Tsinghua University and Westlake University for top-performing students from overseas institutions.  This action guarantees that China will continue to cultivate talent in high-tech and research disciplines, while also offering an alternative pathway for Chinese students who have been impacted by U.S. policy changes.

China is also emphasizing digital education initiatives to broaden its global influence and further improve its education sector. The Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance, which was established by Tsinghua University in 2020, currently comprises universities from 16 countries, including the FutureLearn platform of the United Kingdom.  China is utilizing online education to expand its international educational presence and circumvent geopolitical constraints.  This initiative is particularly advantageous in that it guarantees that students worldwide, including those who are subject to travel restrictions, can continue to participate in Chinese academic programs.

China is currently engaged in the process of reestablishing its international student population in the aftermath of the pandemic.  A plan has been announced by the government to receive 50,000 young Americans for the purpose of studying in China.  Many of the 14,000 American students who traveled to China in 2024 were participating in short-term exchange programs.  The number of international students experienced a significant decrease as a result of the strict COVID-19 border closures implemented by China from 2020 to 2022.  Although 253,177 international students were reported in 2023, Western student enrollment continues to recover at a glacial pace.  Some Chinese universities suffered reputational damage as a result of requiring international students to enroll in low-quality online courses while simultaneously collecting tuition.  This has incited China to implement quality enhancements in international education, such as the creation of more appealing scholarship programs and initiatives to enhance student experience and integration.

It is probable that new partnerships in 2025 will diverge from conventional "2+2" programs, which enabled Chinese students to complete two years in China and two years abroad. In order to maintain student mobility, China is instead emphasizing alternative joint degree models.  The United Kingdom is becoming an increasingly appealing destination for Chinese students, because of the political uncertainties in other regions, and outbound student mobility remains high.  China's educational policymakers have recognized the significance of preserving robust educational relationships with critical countries and are currently in the process of establishing dual-degree programs and exchange agreements to ensure that students remain involved in international academic pursuits.

Enhancing Domestic Higher Education to Meet Strategic National Goals

Additionally, China is increasing undergraduate enrollment domestically, with a particular emphasis on high-priority sectors like engineering, biomedicine, and artificial intelligence.  Peking University is expanding its undergraduate program by 150 seats, with a focus on frontier technologies and national strategic disciplines.  Tsinghua University is establishing a new general education college that will concentrate on interdisciplinary disciplines and artificial intelligence, in addition to expanding by 150 spots.  The national strategic requirements of the nation are being prioritized by Renmin University of China, which is increasing its enrollment by more than 100 students.  Shanghai Jiao Tong University is increasing its enrollment by 150 students and is concentrating on the fields of AI, integrated circuits, biomedicine, and new energy.  These endeavors are indicative of China's commitment to developing a workforce that is consistent with the country's long-term economic and technological objectives.

The 2025 Government Work Report underscored the necessity of cultivating top-tier innovators and highly skilled professionals, expanding high-quality undergraduate education, accelerating the development of world-class universities, and refining talent training models to align with technological advancements.  The government has committed to further reforming the education sector by fostering stronger collaborations between academia and industry and incorporating more research-focused curriculums.  The objective of this method is to generate graduates who are not only academically strong but also capable of directly contributing to China's technological and industrial advancements.

Zheng Shanjie, the head of the National Development and Reform Commission, has announced the expansion of the "Double First-Class" initiative, which seeks to elevate elite universities and disciplines to world-class status, as well as the addition of 20,000 new undergraduate spots in 2025, in addition to the 16,000 that were added in 2024.  It is anticipated that this expansion of educational capacity will generate additional opportunities for Chinese students to pursue higher education in strategic disciplines, while simultaneously decreasing their dependence on overseas study.

China is actively pursuing a multifaceted strategy to broaden its global education influence. This strategy includes the construction of overseas campuses to expand China's academic reach, the provision of direct PhD admissions to overseas Chinese students to attract top talent, the utilization of digital education to enhance global cooperation, the rebuilding of its international student population post-pandemic, and the strengthening of domestic universities by increasing enrollment in strategic fields.  Furthermore, China's heightened emphasis on vocational education and training programs, including the Luban Workshops in Africa and Southeast Asia, is intended to cultivate a more proficient workforce that can contribute to global industrial development and to strengthen China's soft power abroad.

Despite the challenges posed by geopolitical tensions and reputational issues, China is steadfast in its commitment to enhancing its global education leadership.  China is establishing itself as a formidable force in the global academic landscape by continuing to invest in higher education, research, and international partnerships.  The country's capacity to address these obstacles and modify its education policies will be instrumental in determining whether it can achieve its objective of becoming a global leader in higher education by 2035.