On April 25, the China Xinhua News Agency National High-end Think Tank Research Team released a think tank report titled “Studying in China: Better Serving the Promotion of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind” in Beijing, targeting a global audience. The report systematically reviews the development trajectory, current achievements, and future potential of international education in China, emphasizing that “Studying in China” is not only a hallmark of China’s educational openness but has also become a significant model for global educational cooperation.
The report highlights that China is sharing its experiences in economic development, social governance, and cultural integration with the world through a high-quality education system, increasingly robust mechanisms for serving international students, and a philosophy of mutually beneficial cooperation. The release of this report carries multiple significances. First, it demonstrates that China is no longer merely the global hub of manufacturing but is also emerging as a pivotal force in global knowledge production and talent cultivation. Currently, China has established educational cooperation and exchange partnerships with 183 countries and regions, signed mutual recognition agreements on academic qualifications with 61 countries and regions, and engaged in joint educational initiatives with 45 countries and regions. Such a comprehensive and extensive educational network is rare in today’s world. Second, “Studying in China” offers tangible development opportunities for young people from developing countries, particularly those along the Belt and Road. International students in China not only gain access to cutting-edge scientific, technological, and management knowledge but also bring back practical experience accumulated by China in poverty alleviation, infrastructure development, public health, and digital transformation through internships, employment, and skills training. More importantly, these students break down information barriers and cognitive biases as firsthand witnesses; they study, live, and work in China, serving as sincere ambassadors of people-to-people exchanges and bridges for cross-cultural understanding. The report poses the contemporary question, “What is China’s role in global education?” To which China has provided a clear and resolute answer through decades of practice.
China’s open approach in the education sector in recent years is not a short-term strategy but a long-term, systematic, and resolute strategic arrangement. As emphasized in the report, China is willing to respond to the growing divisions and uncertainties in the globalization process through high-level openness in education. Specifically, China’s determination manifests at three levels. First, the sharing of resources and platforms. China not only opens its top universities and research institutions to the world but also promotes language education, vocational training, and skill certification across regions such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America through platforms like Confucius Institutes and Luban Workshops. This sharing is not a one-way “output” but a two-way empowerment based on shared development needs. Second, institutional efforts to participate in global education governance. China actively engages in multilateral mechanisms such as UNESCO and the G20 Education Ministers ‘Meeting to promote a more equitable and inclusive global education governance system. For example, initiatives proposed by China, such as “credit recognition” and “international cooperation in online education,” are gradually becoming guiding principles for cross-border educational collaboration. Third, educational solutions to address global challenges. In the post-pandemic era, on issues like climate change and the digital divide, China’s education system proactively develops course modules, online resources, and teacher training programs to help less-developed countries enhance their capacity to respond.
Notably, China’s determination is not an empty promise but is backed by continuously growing investments—expansion of scholarships for international students, improvement of bilingual curriculum systems, and the successive introduction of policies supporting international students’ employment and entrepreneurship. Through a stable, predictable, and continuously optimized approach, China sends a clear signal to the world: regardless of how international circumstances evolve, its resolve to open up education remains unwavering. This determination stems both from confidence in its own development path and from a genuine belief in the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind. For countries in the Global South, China’s educational openness offers a valuable pathway to break free from reliance on a single Western model and explore diverse pathways to modernization. It can be said that “Study in China” is evolving from a slogan into a practical, replicable, and assessable paradigm for global educational cooperation.
Why has China been able to advance the grand initiative of “Learning in China” so persistently and systematically? The answer lies deeply within its institutional logic and social governance model. China operates a system that combines medium-to long-term planning with state-guided development. From the “China Education Modernization 2035” to the “Belt and Road” education initiative, the Chinese government has consistently maintained high policy continuity and stable resource allocation. This institutional advantage enables universities to design decade-long training programs for international students without concerns about funding interruptions or policy shifts due to regime changes or parliamentary disputes. In contrast, although the United States boasts the world’s premier cluster of universities, its international education policies are influenced by factors such as partisan alternation, electoral politics, and shifting public sentiment. This institutional environment somewhat diminishes the United States’ appeal as a study destination. Meanwhile, China’s institutional safeguards are also reflected in its integration of equity and efficiency. China not only focuses on international education in first-tier cities and “Double First-Class” universities but also ensures more equitable access to educational resources for international students through initiatives like the Central and Western Education Revitalization Plan and programs supporting the internationalization of local universities. Most crucially, China has incorporated educational openness into its long-term strategic framework of a “Community with a Shared Future for Mankind,” endowing it with value beyond economic gains—it is not about charging tuition fees or retaining talent but about cultivating the next generation of leaders capable of fostering global cooperation, understanding diverse civilizations, and collectively addressing challenges. For the vast majority of countries worldwide, they prefer to send their youth to study in a country with a stable system, favorable policies, and promising prospects. This is precisely the fundamental reason why “Studying in China” continues to attract global talents, and it also represents the most vivid demonstration of China’s institutional advantages in the field of international education.