covid 19 and China's International Higher Education Policies

Abstract

In 2010, China announced its aspiration to build the Study in China initiative into a global education brand. A decade of active and strategic policymaking ensued and spurred the growth of international higher education in the rising Asian power. Its overarching objective of becoming the largest study-abroad destination in Asia by 2020 was fulfilled ahead of schedule in 2017. However, as the covid19 pandemic disrupted international mobilities and stunted international education in many countries, the Study in China initiative has also encountered unprecedented challenges. This study analyses the Chinese policies on international higher education between 2020 and mid-2022, and international students’ online queries and responses to these policies. This paper concludes with implications of international students’ experiences since-covid for China's international education sector.

Keywords

China international students international education higher education policy covid19

References

Cheng

D.D.

, Xu

C.X.

, Ma

, & Wang

M.N.

(2021). Investigation and study on the mental health status of medical international students in China during the covid19 pandemic. Chinese Journal of Medical Education Exploration, 20(3): 355-359. doi: 10.3760/cma.j.cn116021-20200903-00440.

China Admissions (2 June 2022). We've Launched Global Admissions! Retrieved on 18 September https://www.china-admissions.com/blog/weve-launched-global-admissions/.

China Visa Application Service Centre (Aug 2022). Notice on Allowing entry to China of APEC Business Travel Card holders and Study Residence Permit holders. Retrieved on 25 Aug 2022 https://www.visaforchina.cn/SEL4_ZH/generalinformation/news/283459.shtml.

Chinese Government (31 March 2020). How to arrange the study and exams of international students who cannot return to campus? Retrieved on 25 June 2022 http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2020-03/31/content_5497687.htm.

cmfa (Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs) (March 22, 2022). Foreign Ministry Spokes-person Wang Wenbin hosts Regular Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Conference on 22 March 2022. Retrieved on 25 June 2022 https://www.mfa.gov.cn/fyrbt_673021/jzhsl_673025/202203/t20220322_10654158.shtml.

cmfa (26 July 2022). Joint Press Statement on the Bilateral Meeting between President of the People's Republic of China and President of the Republic of Indonesia. Retrieved on 25 June 2022 https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx_662805/202207/t20220726_10728227.html.

cmfa (11 Aug 2022). Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin hosts Regular Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Conference on 9 Aug 2022. Retrieved on 25 June 2022 https://www.mfa.gov.cn/fyrbt_673021/jzhsl_673025/202208/t20220811_10741518.shtml.

Ding

D. F.

& Zhang

R.L.

(2022). China's covid-19 Control Strategy and Its Impact on the Global Pandemic. Frontiers in Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.857003.

Hankyoreh (28 July 2020). China resumed issuing visas to Korean students and expatriates. Retrieved on 25 June 2022 http://china.hani.co.kr/arti/international/8500.html.

10.

Jia

H. P.

& Luo. X. (2021). Wear

a Mask for My Country: Conspiracy Theories, Nationalism, and Intention to Adopt Covid-19, Health Communication. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2021.1958982.

11.

Keywords to understand China. (13 March 2020). The Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council. Retrieved on 25 June 2022 http://keywords.china.org.cn/2020-03/13/content_75810561.htm.

12.

& Ren

H. L.

(2021). International students’ awareness and understanding of the pandemic in China in the new media environment. New Media, 2021 (3), pp. 59–63.

13.

Liu

J. C.

(2020). From social drama to political performance: China's multi-front combat with the Covid-19 epidemic, Critical Asian Studies, 52 (4), 473–493. doi: 10.1080/14672715.2020.1803094.

14.

G. X.

, Black

, Blenkinsopp

, Charlton

, Hookham

, Pok

W.F.

Sia

B.C.

, & Omar

H. M

, A. (2022). Higher education under threat: China, Malaysia, and the UK respond to the covid-19 pandemic, Compare, 52 (5), 841–857. doi: 10.1080/03057925.2021.1879479.

15.

Malaysiakini (4 Dec, 2021). Chinese Foreign Minister said Wang Yi China would soon allow Malaysian students to return to China to study. Retrieved on 25 June 2022 https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/601795.

16.

moe (2019). Statistics on international higher education in China. Retrieved on 26 Oct 2020.http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/gzdt_gzdt/s5987/201904/t20190412_377692.html.

17.

moe PressConf. (Ministry of Education PressConf). (18 June 2020). Press Conference on the Opinions on Accelerating and Expanding the Opening up of Education in the New Era. Retrieved on 10 Aug 2022 http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/s271/202006/t20200617_466545.html.

18.

moe (Ministry of Education, China). (12 June 2020). 20 questions about the resumption of schools and classes under the normalization of epidemic prevention and control. Retrieved on 10 Aug 2022. http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/moe_1946/fj_2020/202006/t20200612_465535.html.

19.

nia (National Immigration Administration, China). (March 26, 2020.) Announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Immigration Administration on the Temporary Suspension of Entry by Foreign Nationals Holding Valid Chinese Visas or Residence Permits. Retrieved on 25 June 2022 http://www.nia.gov.cn/n897453/c1267259/content.html.

20.

nia. (23 Sept 2020). Announcement on Entry by Foreign Nationals Holding Valid Chinese Residence Permits of Three Categories September 23, 2020. Retrieved on 25 June 2022 https://www.nia.gov.cn/n741440/n741542/c1344669/content.html.

21.

Nyu

Shanghai

(2020). Community Standards in the Context of COVID-19 Management & COVID-19 Student Code of Conduct. Shanghai: New York University Shanghai.

22.

Peters

M. A.

, Wang

, Ogunniran

M. O.

, Huang

, Green

, Chunga

J. O.

, … & Hayes

(2020). China's internationalized higher education during Covid-19: Collective student autoethnography. Postdigital science and education, 2(3), 968–988.

23.

The Joint Mechanism (the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council, China). Guide on Implementing and Normalizing the Prevention and Control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Retrieved on 19 Aug 2022 http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2020-05/08/content_5509896.htm.

24.

Tsinghua University (n.d.). Locals and Foreigners Under Same covid-19 Control-Tsinghua University. Retrieved on 25 June 2022 https://www.tsinghua.edu.cn/en/info/1346/9206.htm.

25.

United Nations. (6 August 2020). UN Secretary-General warns of education catastrophe, pointing to unesco estimate of 24 million learners at risk of dropping out. Retrieved on 25 June 2022 https://en.unesco.org/news/secretary-general-warns-education-catastrophe-pointing-unesco-estimate-24-million-learners-0.

26.

United Nations. (24 Jan 2022). ‘Global learning crisis’ continues says Guterres; millions still hit. Retrieved on 25 June 2022 https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/01/1110402.

27.

Yang

Q. G.

, Shen

J.M.

, Xu

Y.Y.

(2021). Changes in International Student Mobility amid the covid-19 Pandemic and Response in the China Context. Fudan Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences 2022 (15), 23–40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40647-021-00333-7.

28.

, & Xu

L.Y.

(2022). Research on the Online Learning Experience of South Asian Students during covid-19: The Mediating Effect of Online Learning Status on Autonomous Learning and Learning Effect Evaluation. Journal of International Students, 12 (2022), pp. 45–60.

29.

Zhang

& Zhu

Y.N.

(2022). Responses to the covid-19 Pandemic in Chinese Higher Education: Reflection A. upon International Student Support. Journal of International Students 2022 (12), pp. 118–124.

30.

Zhu

H. S.

(Working Paper). Constructive Conflict in China: Managing Policy Trade-offs under Authoritarianism. Retrieved on 17 Sept 2022 on from https://app.scholarsite.io/hongshen-zhu/articles/constructive-conflict-in-china-managing-policy-tradeoffs-under-authoritarianism.

31.

Zou

S. J.

, & Agyemang

A. O.

(2022). Empirical Study on the Impact of covid-19 on International Student Enrolment for Higher Education in China. Sustainability. Sustainability 2022 (14), 4185. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14074185.