An Analysis of China’s Internationalization of Higher Education in the 21st Century: The Utility of Bacchi’s WPR Framework

This study analysed China’s policy on the internationalization of higher education (HE) in the 21st Century by employing Bacchi’s “What is the problem represented to be” (WPR) framework. Five landmark policy texts published by the Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE) between 2010 and 2020 were examined, and five primary approaches of HE internationalization were identified: Confucius Institutes establishment, foreign education aid, international student recruitment, knowledge transfer, and world-class university building. This study found that the rationales that drive China’s HE internationalization process is a combination of socio-cultural development, human resource development, educational quality improvement, diplomacy and soft power, commercial trade, and nation building. All these rationales served the purpose of strengthening the overall national power and competitiveness. Challenges related to the stereotype of Chinese political ideology and the improvement of HE quality are yet to be overcome. Also, the current global situations may slow down the HE internationalization process and shape a stronger inward-looking climate.