The Improvement of the Selection Mechanism of International Students Coming to China: Take Countries along the Belt and Road as an Example

Abstract

As China's influence grows globally, particularly after the introduction of the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, an increasing number of foreign students are choosing to pursue their higher education in China. Given this context, China is beginning to place an increasing emphasis on the quality control of its international student population. Thus, this essay examines China's current system of international student selection.  The examination reveals that there are issues with China's system for selecting international students. Both the language assessment and the academic ability evaluation are devoid of professionalism and refinement, as well as consistent criteria. Additionally, the preliminary mechanism has not gained traction or been useful, and other complementing, alternative mechanisms are disregarded. This paper offers recommendations from three perspectives—the language evaluation mechanism, the academic assessment mechanism, and the alternative assessment mechanism—to encourage the enhancement of the selection process for foreign students entering China. In order to support both the internationalization of higher education and the Belt and Road initiative, the Chinese government and universities should raise the bar for selecting international students and implement policies that are appropriate for the current state of affairs and the challenges facing the countries that form the route.