We welcome Professor Mei Li of East Normal University for this seminar, held in collaobration with the GLACIER Network.

Abstract

Amid complex geopolitical dynamics, higher education in China is undergoing a significant transformation. The traditional model of sending top students abroad is gradually giving way to a more balanced approach that emphasizes cultivating talent both domestically and internationally. One key strategy in building world-class academic centres in China is the clustering of high-quality international scholars.

This study explores the approaches and characteristics adopted by Chinese research universities in attracting and concentrating international academic talent. Findings suggest that China has increasingly integrated into the global higher education and research system through its open-door policies, facilitating brain circulation between global academic centres and China. A particularly effective strategy has been attracting overseas-educated Chinese scholars to return and contribute to domestic institutions. However, efforts to recruit non-Chinese international scholars have seen limited success.

These developments challenge the traditional assumptions of world-systems theory, which often conceptualizes global academic hierarchies through a core-periphery lens. China's unique trajectory in developing a strong domestic academic presence suggests the need to revisit and revise theoretical frameworks to better capture the dynamics of global knowledge production and mobility in the 21st century.

About the speaker