Destinations for Chinese students studying abroad become more diverse: report

The destinations for Chinese students studying abroad will become more diverse and comprehensive, while China remains the largest source of international students for countries such as the U.S., the UK, Australia, Japan, Germany and New Zealand during the 2022-23 academic year, according to a report released by Beijing-based Center for China and Globalization (CCG).

For 15 years in a row, China has been the largest source of international students in the U.S. Over the 2022-23 academic year, there were 289,000 Chinese students studying in the U.S. The number of Indian students studying in the U.S. has been rapidly increasing since 2020, and India now has only 20,000 fewer students studying in the U.S. compared to China, said the report, named as The Development of Chinese Students Studying Abroad for 2023-24.

The number of Chinese students studying in Germany has remained around 40,000, while the number of Chinese students in countries and regions along the Belt and Road Initiative, such as Malaysia and Thailand, has continued to increase. For instance, in 2021, the number of students studying in these countries and regions increased by around 10,000 compared to 2020, according to the report.

The report emphasizes the ongoing growth of  studying abroad across the globe, with China remaining the largest source of international students. Studying overseas is considered essential for nurturing high-level global talents in China. The future of international study in the country is expected to transition into a phase of steady growth, with traditional destinations stabilizing and new destinations gaining prominence, according to the CCG. 

STEM related majors continue to be a popular choice for students studying overseas. With Chinese companies developing globally and the Belt and Road Initiative driving high-quality development, China’s participation in global affairs is increasing, leading to the trend of international students’ circulation, the CCG report noted.

Since China’s reform and opening-up, the number of Chinese mainland students studying abroad has exceeded 8 million. The total number of overseas returnees has exceeded 6 million by 2021 since China’s opening-up, according to the CCG. 

Studying abroad is crucial for the economic, social, and technological development of China, serving as a vital way for nurturing high-level international talents in the country, according to the report.

More and more international talents studying abroad have been entered the field of public governance in China, using their international perspectives and strategic insights, promoting deeper participation of China in global governance.