Mainland universities draw more HK, Macao, Taiwan students

Tsinghua University students are seen welcoming freshmen on campus Aug. 17. On that day, more than 3,700 undergraduates started their university life in Tsinghua University, including roughly 3,400 mainland students, more than 80 from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and approximately 200 international students. Xinhua

A total of 38,200 students from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan were pursuing higher education on the mainland in 2021, an increase of 51% compared with 2012, according to the Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE).

Over the past decade, mainland universities have enrolled 79,000 students from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, the MOE said at a press conference Tuesday.

Exchanges and cooperation have expanded between higher education institutions in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and the mainland.

About 3,000 programs have facilitated communication between university teachers and students from Hong Kong, Macao, and the mainland.

More than 1,000 universities across the Taiwan Strait have engaged in 1,300 exchange programs, and about 60,000 teachers and students from Taiwan have visited the mainland in the past 10 years.

The mainland has also tied up cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao in running schools and joint education programs and developing major laboratories, the ministry said.

The MOE also said that over 80% of all Chinese students have returned to the country after finishing their education abroad since 2012.

The 2020-2021 academic year saw international students from 195 countries and regions studying in China, up 35% from 2012, the ministry said.

China has signed agreements on mutual recognition of academic qualifications and degrees with 58 countries and regions.

The nation established Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms in cooperation with 159 countries and regions, according to the ministry.

International education cooperation has also been carried out in designated places in China, in partnership with international organizations, and within the framework of multilateral mechanisms, the MOE added.