Inbound international student policies in China: a historical perspective

Purpose - Policies regarding international student enrollment represents diversified responses and attitudes on internationalization of higher education, which is associated not only to the internal reforms of the higher education system but also to the adjustment of government-institution relationships in larger contexts of economic development, and cultural and diplomatic strategies. The purpose of this paper is therefore to analyze the trend of the mainland China's inbound international student mobility during the past decades in the broader context of the country's diplomatic and domestic political circumstances. Design/methodology/approach - By using a historical and holistic approach, this paper identifies four stages of the development of international education for inbound international students, and examines the underpinning ideologies or motives of the trend. Findings - Findings of this research suggestthat different from the triumph of other Asian countries in international education, neo-liberalism has inserted a very limited impact to the development of international education of the mainland China, mainly at the micro level; the main motive of international education in China is to serve its domestic politics and diplomacy. A type of new nationalism is emerging in China's recent global strategy. Originality/value - This paper responds to the broader discussion of natioanlism vs internationalism by looking at the complex relationship between the state, international relations, and higher education institutions.