Md. Altab Hossin. (COURTESY PHOTO)

By Md. Altab Hossin

In parallel with economic growth, higher education is playing a vital role in China, driving the progress of science, technology, innovation, and social development by nurturing talents. They will contribute to real-world applications of new technology in different sectors and thus to society as well.

China has established a wide range of higher education institutions in every region to foster a quality academic environment with modern infrastructure, experienced teachers, and advanced lab facilities. For example, Chengdu in southwest China has seven "double first-class universities"— universities that are world-class with first-class disciplines, which makes it a cradle of talents and quality research.

Chinese institutions among global top universities

By utilizing their academic resources and engaging in research, Chinese higher education institutions are gradually securing more prominent positions in the world and playing a vital role in the field of science and technology. In 2024, 31 universities in the Chinese mainland ranked among the top 500 universities in the world, including four universities that were among the top 50, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

In 2022, according to Nature Index, which tracks the affiliations of high-quality scientific articles, China ranked top in the volume of natural science research papers published in the most significant journals. In 2023, China came second in the number of highly cited researchers with a total number of 1,275, consolidating its place as a star in academia.

Academic ecosystem of research and innovation

Giving full play to science and technology, and the knowledge of academicians, talented personnel, and other experts, China is building a research and innovation-oriented ecosystem of academia. Science parks, incubators, and high-tech enterprises are providing higher education institutions with convenient research collaboration, training bases, and practical-oriented teaching so that scientific research outputs can be smoothly translated into real productivity.

China is also organizing various innovation and entrepreneurship competitions to encourage and enhance the creativity of college students, and turn their project ideas into real productivity by providing them knowledge-based incubator support and connecting them with investors and industry chains.

Incubator for international students

The higher education institutions in China are also active in international cooperation and exchanges. This is done by not only fostering quality students and sending them abroad, but also coming up with policies to bring back Chinese graduates from abroad.

Foreign students in China, besides learning the Chinese language and culture and taking professional courses, can enjoy a peaceful campus environment and quality research under the guidance of experienced advisors. All this helps them to learn and grow their careers smoothly.

China has now become a leading provider of academic environment for foreign students and talented individuals. All higher education institutions welcome such people to pursue their higher education and research collaboration in China, so as to jointly promote science, technology, and the economy, not just in China but worldwide.

Dr. Md. Altab Hossin is a Bangladeshi expert at the School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Chengdu University.