COVID19 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 fulfllled 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.