Chinese universities need to attract more foreign students, but not by treating them differently

China has a talent-deficit problem that, if unsolved, will constrain its ability to innovate and further develop. It should take several steps to meet the challenge, starting with removing the wall between local and international students

Wang Huiyao

Published: 11:30am, 6 Aug 2019

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Recent events have stirred debate over the treatment of international students in China. From special “buddy programmes” for visiting students to lenient treatment of misbehaviour, many decry the apparent preferential treatment given to foreigners on campus.

Rather than obsessing on individual cases, we should also reflect on the broader question: why, despite all the perks and scholarships, do Chinese universities struggle to internationalise and attract top-calibre students from abroad?

In the US, international students account for 5.3 per cent of all those enrolled in higher education. In China, the figure is just 0.6 per cent. Outbound flows of Chinese students continue to dwarf the numbers that come to study in China. Addressing this imbalance is important. International talent, including international students, are a key ingredient for China’s high-quality growth.

As it developed, China became a global player in the flow of goods and capital. In future, global flows of talent and expertise may be even more important for China’s development. This is all the more so given China’s economic restructuring and the waning of its demographic dividend.

Previous phases of globalisation were fuelled by the flow of goods. Today, trade is weakening as a driver of growth due to political and long-term structural trends. By contrast, global talent flows hold great potential as vectors of innovation, growth and development.

No country shows the advantages of openness to global talent better than the US. Foreign talent helps the nation lead in many cutting-edge fields. From 2000 to 2016, the US brought home 78 Nobel Prizes in chemistry, medicine and physics. Some 40 per cent of these recipients were born overseas. Every year, international students contributed billions of dollars to the US economy.

However, the US seems to be closing the open doors that have been a source of its strength. This year, international enrolments in US graduate schools fell by 1 per cent for the second year in a row.

The US has shortened the length of visas for Chinese graduate students in fields such as aviation, robotics and advanced manufacturing to one year, citing espionage concerns. Illustration: Shutterstock

This gives a chance for other countries to position themselves as global hubs for education. China has made great strides forward, becoming Asia’s top destination to study abroad. However, compared to market leaders such as the US and Britain, there is much room for improvement.

At present, only a third of China’s 3,000 higher education institutions accept international students. Last year, as 258,100 international students pursued diploma studies in China, over 2½ times that number of Chinese students (662,100) went overseas to study. In 2017-2018, when over 360,000 Chinese studied in US higher education, there were just under 12,000 US students in China.

This imbalance feeds into China’s continuing status as a net exporter of skilled talent.

Students walk across the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, California. In 2017-2018, over 360,000 Chinese studied in US higher education institutions, while there were just under 12,000 US students in China. Photo: AFP

Addressing China’s “talent deficit” requires steps by the government and education institutions to attract international students.

A welcome step forward is the recent nationwide roll-out of 12 policy measures that broaden access to long-term visas and residence permits. This includes outstanding international students who have graduated from top universities and want to innovate or start businesses.

Meanwhile, universities should improve the experience for international students. This does not mean more special treatment, but rather ensuring that international students have access to similarly rich opportunities as their domestic peers.

The fact is, most international students do not come to China to be treated differently and enjoy special privileges

Traditionally, international students have been managed separately from domestic students, creating a wall between them. Often, they live in separate buildings and must enrol in different courses. This differentiated mode of management has hindered integration and fed misperceptions on campus.

Just as with the treatment of foreign companies in China, it is time to move away from the old mindset that rigidly differentiates “foreign” from “Chinese”.

The fact is, most international students do not come to China to be treated differently and enjoy special privileges. They and domestic students alike would benefit from a more integrated educational and social experience. We should expand options for them to live and study together, rather than being walled off in separate dorms and classrooms.

Chinese students upset by ‘favouritism’ towards foreigners

English-language programmes should also be expanded and improved. At present, international students often face the daunting task of mastering Chinese and graduating within just five years. More universities could offer courses in English, as is the case in other countries. This would give international students pathways through higher education without a prerequisite for Chinese proficiency, increasingly the potential pool for student recruitment.

Weakness in international programmes is partly due to a lack of qualified teachers. For example, fewer than 1 per cent of teachers at colleges and universities in China come from overseas. Chinese universities should cast their nets wider to recruit top academic leaders and teachers from around the world.

HKU, the world’s ‘international university’, is still failing non-local students

Reforming government caps on tuition fees, currently held below the market rate, would also support internationalisation. International students often represent a cost burden for universities. Loosening controls on international fees would encourage universities to recruit overseas and provide funds to improve services. In the US and Britain, international fees have come to be an important source of funding for scientific research and investment.

The steps outlined above could help attract and retain more international students, energising China’s development and deepening links with countries around the world. International education can grow into a pillar industry for China, bringing jobs, revenue and diversity to local communities. It would also help nurture a base of talent to support the Belt and Road Initiative.

Short-term buddies and special treatment are not the way to overcome China’s education imbalance. Rather, we should reduce the distinction between Chinese and foreign, allowing international students to truly make a home in China through deeper integration, lasting friendships and opportunities for development.

Wang Huiyao is the founder of the Centre for China and Globalisation, a Beijing-based non-governmental think tank

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