China: Two-thirds of new TNE partnerships are with countries outside the Big Four

China has been ramping up its transnational education (TNE) partnerships with other countries, with the Ministry of Education approving a record 285 new joint education institutes and programmes at the degree level in 2025. Overall, there are now 1,589 active TNE partnerships involving China and another country.

Beyond volume, what is notable here is that the partnerships are with institutions from a wide array of countries. For years, the UK has been the world leader in TNE provision, but last year, it accounted for only 15% of the new partnerships approved by China’s Ministry of education. The British Council reports:

“Two-thirds (66%) of newly-approved partnerships were formed with institutions outside the ‘Big 4’ English-speaking countries that have historically been the main destinations for Chinese students studying abroad, with Russia making up the largest single group of approvals. This continues a trend towards a more diverse selection of partner countries.”

As well as Russia, active partnerships now include institutions in Italy, Germany, France, Malaysia, New Zealand, Brazil, and more.

The record number of TNE approvals in 2025 followed two years of relatively low approval rates, and the expansion is likely due to low capacity in China’s top universities and to concern over a persistently high youth unemployment rate.

The diversity of partner nations dovetails with China’s strategy of building trade and other relationships in regions all over the world. Earlier this month, we looked at trends in international research collaborations, and as with TNE, China stands out in its interest in cooperating with a wide range of countries.

In both research and TNE, the shape of China’s international partnerships conforms to its economic needs. Priority areas include AI, robotics, computing, oil and gas, and medicine, but the overall range of partnerships is well rounded and driven by the Chinese government’s identification of niche strengths.

Writing in University World News, Futao Huang, a professor at the Research Institute for Higher Education at Hiroshima University in Japan, wrote that the evolution of Chinese TNE mirrors the growing power of China:

“China has become more assertive in linking international cooperation to its strategic industries, such as artificial intelligence, green technologies and health sciences. Joint education is increasingly valued not just as a tool for internationalisation, but as a mechanism for strategic capacity building …For foreign universities, the message is more complex. On the one hand, China remains open to collaboration and continues to approve new partnerships even in a tense global environment. On the other hand, the terms of engagement have changed. Foreign partners are expected to align their offerings with China’s strategic priorities, and partnerships are scrutinised more closely for quality and outcomes.”

China's Ministry of Education has a target to expand enrolment in transnational education programmes (TNE) from an estimated 800,000 students currently to 8 million.

For additional background, please see:

• “China leverages higher education capacity with expanded TNE partnerships”