China's approach to the international market for higher education students: strategies and implications

Abstract

The rise of the People's Republic of China (PRC) as a new destination for international students has been widely reported in both the domestic and international mass media, but academic research into this phenomenon and its theoretical implications are lacking. The purposes of this article are threefold. First, by examining the dynamics underpinning the PRC's efforts to shape the inflow of international students, it reveals the major strategies that have enabled China to become a key competitor for international students. Second, it argues that China has emerged as a destination of choice for international students, not as the result of neo-liberal ideology or the pursuit of economic gains, but because of state-directed efforts to improve its international political and academic relations. Third, drawing upon China's experience, this article improves our understanding of the role of the state in shaping international relations, higher education and international academic mobility, as both a rule-taker and a rule-maker in the context of globalisation.