Amid profound shifts in the global education landscape and intensifying technological competition, a central question is emerging: how can China’s higher education strengthen quality through openness and enhance global influence through cooperation?
In a recent signed article in People’s Daily Overseas Edition, Tan Tieniu, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Party Secretary of Nanjing University, offered a clear answer. Internationalization, he argued, must not slow down. It must deepen, expand, and evolve to a higher level.
His message is both strategic and timely. As China accelerates its ambition to become a leading country in education, the international dimension of its universities is no longer peripheral. It is central to national competitiveness, scientific innovation, and global engagement.
From Participation to Leadership
Over the past four decades, China’s higher education system has undergone a remarkable transformation. What began in the late 1970s as a largely one-way process — sending students abroad to learn from established systems — has evolved into a dynamic two-way exchange. China is now both one of the largest sources of international students globally and a major destination for students from abroad. Transnational education programs, joint institutes, and collaborative research platforms have multiplied.
Yet scale alone is no longer sufficient. Tan argues that the next stage of internationalization must prioritize quality, resilience, and strategic depth. In a world shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, technological rivalry, and shifting talent flows, universities must rethink how they structure global partnerships.
The goal, he suggests, is transformation: Chinese universities should move from being participants in the global academic system to becoming contributors, builders, and in some areas, leaders. This requires a shift from transactional cooperation toward long-term, institutionalized collaboration grounded in mutual benefit.
Openness as Strategic Infrastructure
Tan emphasizes that educational openness is not simply about exchanging students or importing programs. It is a comprehensive, multi-layered strategy that encompasses talent cultivation, research collaboration, governance innovation, and cultural dialogue.
First, China’s universities must diversify and stabilize their global partnerships. While maintaining strong ties with leading Western institutions, they should also expand collaboration with emerging economies and countries in the Global South. A more balanced global network reduces vulnerability to geopolitical fluctuations and reflects the increasingly multipolar nature of global knowledge production.
Second, talent development must be fundamentally international in outlook. Universities should cultivate graduates who possess not only technical expertise, but also cross-cultural competence and a deep understanding of global governance. Expanding bilingual and English-medium instruction, institutionalizing exchange programs, and embedding global perspectives into curricula are essential steps. Internationalization, in this sense, becomes embedded in the educational experience rather than existing as an add-on.
Third, scientific collaboration must reach new heights. Tan calls for the establishment of high-level international joint laboratories and research centers. Global challenges — from climate change to artificial intelligence — demand multinational cooperation. By fostering open, collaborative innovation platforms, Chinese universities can enhance research efficiency and strengthen their role in shaping global scientific agendas. At the same time, such openness must operate within frameworks that safeguard national security and intellectual property — balancing cooperation with responsibility.
Finally, the cultural dimension of internationalization deserves equal attention. Universities are not merely research institutions; they are bridges between civilizations. Academic forums, cultural exchange programs, and sustained dialogue can promote mutual understanding at a time when global polarization is deepening. Through education, China can present a more nuanced and multidimensional image of itself to the world.
Internationalization as National Strategy
China’s push to build a world-class education system places universities at the heart of its broader modernization strategy. Higher education is a key driver of innovation and talent formation; its level of international integration directly affects national competitiveness.
But Tan’s argument goes beyond domestic priorities. He frames openness as a contribution to global development. A more internationally engaged Chinese higher education system can inject new energy into global academic cooperation, diversify intellectual perspectives, and expand opportunities for shared progress.
Crucially, he rejects the notion that openness weakens autonomy. On the contrary, he suggests that genuine confidence enables deeper engagement. Openness strengthens institutions by exposing them to competition, collaboration, and new ideas. Cooperation does not imply dependence; rather, it creates pathways for mutual advancement.
In a time when some countries are reassessing international academic ties, Tan’s call is unequivocal: internationalization must not retreat. It must accelerate, innovate, and adapt to new realities.
A Defining Moment
China’s universities are now at a critical juncture — shifting from rapid expansion in scale to qualitative transformation. Whether they can sustain and upgrade international openness will shape not only their own futures, but also their role in the global knowledge system.
If successfully implemented, a higher level of internationalization could position Chinese universities as indispensable nodes in global research networks and as training grounds for globally minded leaders. It could also contribute to a more pluralistic and balanced international academic order.
The message from Nanjing University’s Party Secretary is clear: in a turbulent world, the answer is not less openness, but more — not hesitation, but strategic acceleration.
For China’s higher education sector, the next phase of development will be defined not by whether it engages the world, but by how deeply and confidently it does so.