Confucius Institutes: China’s Global Presence

By Goolam Mohamedbhai. The initiative taken by China to establish university branch campuses in other countries, as reported by Roger Chao, is not at all surprising. It is unquestionable that China wants to play a major role in global higher education to match its aspiration of becoming the world’s leading economic power. China has understood what many countries still fail to appreciate: higher education is a key vehicle not only to achieve economic development but also to attain ‘soft power’ regionally and globally. China has adopted a very strategic approach in its long-term objective, with education playing a crucial role. English being the acknowledged global language, China promotes the teaching of English in its schools and has sent thousands of its teachers to USA, UK and Australia to learn English. Read more...