Summary:

China’s Ministry of Education recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an additional six local governments in China to promote international education cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative. The MoU is set to develop platforms for international education cooperation at the provincial level through the Belt and Road Initiative and to train urgently-needed professionals in related fields.

The six new agreements were signed with the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the provinces of Jilin, Heilongjiang, Shaanxi and Qinghai, as well as the city of Qingdao. Eight other provinces and autonomous regions (Gansu, Ningxia, Fujian, Guangxi, Hainan, Guizhou, Yunnan and Xinjiang) already had similar agreements with the MoE.

According to the MOUs, the MoE will support the 14 local governments in various ways, including policy guidance on broad-scale planning as well as support for two-way student mobility, transnational education, research and studies on countries and regions included in the Belt and Road Initiative, people-to-people exchange, capacity building and platform construction. Vice Education Minister Tian Xuejun said that the MoE had already set up plans for hundreds of education cooperation projects with local governments.

The Belt and Road Initiative aims to improve cooperation between China and over 60 other countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa, and is an important part of China’s current 13^th Five-Year Plan. Aside from education and cultural exchange, the Initiative also covers trade and infrastructure, financial cooperation, and cultural exchange.

Analysis by Kevin Prest and Xiaoxiao Liu:

Although the UK is not one of the countries included in the Belt and Road Initiative, not all of the support is specifically targeted to Belt and Road partner countries. In particular, support for HE institutions to increase their internationalisation is in general terms rather than limited to connections with Belt and Road partners, while the agreements set targets for total international students rather than just students from these countries.

As a result, the provinces covered by the agreements – which are mainly less-developed parts of the country, and mostly in Central or Western China – will see improved capacity and expertise on international education, which could create new opportunities for cooperation with UK institutions.

However, the agreements do include specific provisions for bilateral student mobility and joint projects with Belt and Road countries. These countries are mainly developing countries in Central, South and South East Asia. This support will make China a more attractive destination for potential overseas students from these countries, which will mean tougher competition for UK educational institutions in the region.

Sources:

1. MoE announcement of the six new MOUs: http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/gzdt_gzdt/moe_1485/201704/t20170411_302369.html (in Chinese)

2. English language news article about the new MOUs: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2017-04/12/content_28894053.htm

3. Example of one of these MOUs, between the MoE and Gansu province: http://jyj.jc.gansu.gov.cn/art/2016/9/23/art_19323_273602.html