Summary:
In response to the Guidelines on Works in Opening Up the Education Sector in the New Era from the Chinese government released in April (https://education-services.britishcouncil.org/news/market-news/china-ann...) and the strategic initiative the Belt and Road, the Ministry of Education has unveiled its action plan to drive the Belt and Road education partnership (推进共建“一带一路”教育行动) with nearby countries along the Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road routes.

According to the action plan, in the next three years, the Chinese government will set up a Belt and Road scholarship, which will sponsor 2,500 Chinese students per year to study in the countries along the routes for the next three years, as well as 10,000 students from these countries to study in China in each of the next five years.

Aside from these scholarships, other items included in the action plan include:

• Strengthening education policy communication with Belt and Road nations
• Establishing bilateral and multilateral agreements on cooperation in education such as mutual recognition of degrees or credits;
• Encouraging links between education institutions, including universities and vocational institutions, particularly in support of industries such as high-speed rail and telecommunications and the internationalisation of other industries. Joint educational institutions, joint laboratories and research centres and international technology transfer centres will all be encouraged.
• Cooperation on teacher training, including exchanges of university presidents, academics and management staff; high-quality teaching equipment, teaching materials and courseware; and teacher training programmes.
• Encouraging people-to-people exchanges including study visits and research activities, as well as joint articulation programmes in the areas of language, transportation, construction, medicine, energy, environmental engineering, hydraulic engineering, biological science, marine science, ecological protection, cultural heritage protection and other professional areas

The Belt and Road initiative refers to the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. Most countries included in the initiative are in Central Asia, South Asia and South East Asia.

Analysis by Kevin Prest and Liu Xiaoxiao:
Although the action plan talks about bilateral cooperation, a major theme is the promotion of Chinese education to countries along the Belt and Road routes. This cooperation, in combination with the increasing quality of China’s domestic universities, means that China will become an increasingly important destination country for HE students from developing countries.

From a UK perspective, universities should expect their Chinese counterparts to become stronger competitors when it comes to recruiting students from these countries over the next few years.

Sources:
1. Original Text of the Action Plan (Chinese): http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A20/s7068/201608/t20160811_274679.html
2. Q&A about the Action Plan: http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/s271/201608/t20160811_274678.html
3. http://www.cdgdc.edu.cn/xwyyjsjyxx/zxkb/jrjz/dfxx/282427.shtml
4. http://www.scio.gov.cn/ztk/wh/slxy/31200/Document/1486603/1486603.htm
5. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-08/11/c_135587410.htm