In 2023, the Chinese Ministry of Education (MoE) announced that revitalising higher education in China's central and western regions would be given further priority. This policy aims to strengthen strategic partnerships in Xi'an, Lanzhou, Chongqing, and Chengdu while creating a 'Western Triangle' of higher education in these regions.

As of June 2023, 53 per cent of China's 1,465 institutions and 57 per cent of its students already reside in the central and western regions. Regions classed as central and western China include 20 provincial-level regions, which collectively represent 57 per cent of China's population.

In June 2023, Huai Jinpeng, Minister of Education, announced additional plans for talent cultivation in China's central and western regions, including the establishment of higher research institutes and the acceleration of the construction of National Institutes of Excellence for Engineers and Physicians.

The central and western regions have historically been less developed than many other areas in China, lagging behind in terms of GDP per capita and average education levels. However, there have been significant efforts and investments made to bridge this gap.

China's focus on developing higher education in the central and western regions officially began in 2001. Over the past decade, efforts from the MoE, Ministry of Finance, and National Development and Reform Committee have resulted in an increase in doctoral and master's degrees awarded in the central and western regions. Moreover, out of the 147 universities built as part of the "Double First Class" university construction initiative, 48 are located in the central and western parts of the country. However, around two-thirds of the prestigious 'Double First Class' universities still reside in the East of China, which constitutes only 11 out of China's 31 mainland provinces.

Throughout the 2000s, Transnational Education (TNE) collaborations experienced popularity in major industrialised cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Ningbo, and Guangzhou. However, a notable shift in the Ministry of Education's resource allocation strategy, coupled with their encouragement of partnerships in less developed regions, resulted in a substantial decline in TNE partnerships in China's largest cities. As an example, in Shanghai, the proportion of TNE partnerships approved experienced a significant decrease, falling from ten per cent in 2014 and earlier to three per cent from 2015 onwards.

While the majority of TNE opportunities still exist in the East of China, new opportunities for foreign institutions may emerge in other regions of the country as the government focuses on developing education in the country's western and central regions. However, in less developed areas, challenges such as low purchasing power and other market entry barriers are likely to be found.

References

http://www.moe.gov.cn/s78/A08/tongzhi/202303/t20230329_1053339.html

https://www.gov.cn/lianbo/bumen/202306/content_6886088.htm

https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2023/07/19/changes-in-uk-china-transnational-educ...

http://en.moe.gov.cn/news/press_releases/202203/t20220301_603547.html