The internationalisation of China’s higher education: soft power with ‘Chinese characteristics’

ABSTRACT

Recent research has focused either on the internationalisation of China’s higher education (HE) as soft power, or on soft power with ‘Chinese characteristics’. There is a paucity of research combining these two foci. This paper fills this gap by: (i) unravelling the meanings and features of the ‘Chinese characteristics’ embodied in the policies of President Xi Jinping’s new regime that seeks to rejuvenate the ‘civilisational state’ through internationalising HE as soft power; (ii) analysing the implications and complications therein; and (iii) exploring the predicaments and paradoxes as China seeks to construct a Sino-centric world order alongside, if not atop, the Westphalian system. It demonstrates how the internationalisation of HE as soft power with ‘Chinese characteristics’: finds its legitimacy in a historico-cultural narrative; rides on the tide of the current global norms/practices; builds on national agenda/priorities; and is running into conflict with the West which is pursuing its own similar interests.

摘要

最近的研究或关注中国高等教育的国际化，将其作为一种软实力，或关注具有“中国特色”的软实力，而将这两个焦点结合起来的研究较少。本文通过以下几个方面填补了这一空白：i）揭示习近平主席新政权的政策所体现的“中国特色”的含义和特征，该政策试图将高等教育国际化作为软实力以复兴“文明国家”; ii) 分析由此产生的影响和相关问题; iii) 探讨中国在试图构建一个并行于或超越威斯特伐利亚体系的一个以中国为中心的世界秩序时，所面临的困境与悖论。我们展示高等教育国际化，作为一种具有“中国特色”的软实力，如何：在历史文化叙事中找到其合法性；在当前全球规范/实践中乘势而上；建立在国家议程/优先事项之上；以及与追求类似自身利益的西方国家发生冲突。

KEYWORDS:

• Internationalisation
• higher education
• soft power
• Chinese characteristics
• globalisation

关键词:

• 国际化
• 高等教育
• 软实力
• 中国特色
• 全球化

Acknowledgment

This work attributes to the research project, ‘Reflection on the Rationales and Realities of International Student Exchange in the Era of Globalization’, funded by the General Research Fund from the Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee of Hong Kong [GRF 18612018].

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee of Hong Kong under the General Research Fund [GRF 18612018].

Notes on contributors

Tin Yau Joe Lo

Tin Yau Joe Lo is the Director of General Education, The Education University of Hong Kong. He has published extensively in the areasof comparative education, social science education, history education, citizenship education, and China studies.

Suyan Pan

Suyan Pan is an associate professor at the Department of Social Sciences, The Education University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include higher education, international relations, citizenship education, international student mobility, and China studies in the comparative contexts.