In higher education, China and Southeast Asia enjoy a symbiotic relationship.
In recent years, Chinese universities have expanded their presence in Southeast Asia, evident from the growing number of Southeast Asian students in China and the establishment of Chinese campuses in the region. This collaboration reflects China’s strategic efforts to increase student enrollment, diversify the funding sources for university departments, and enhance its regional image.
Educational cooperation between China and Southeast Asia can be divided into three stages. Before and shortly after the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the first stage saw close and reciprocal educational connections, primarily through the Chinese diaspora. From 1900 to 1910, the diaspora established the first private schools in Southeast Asia. Some of the diaspora returned to China, contributing to its higher education by funding schools and establishing modern educational systems. Notable examples include Tan Kah Kee, Lee Teng Hwee and Lim Boon Keng. After the founding of the PRC in 1949, some diaspora members returned to China and contributed to the development of disciplines related to Southeast Asian languages and area studies.
The second stage began during the Deng Xiaoping era (1979-1989), with China showing interest in the “Singapore model” of modernisation. This period saw more than 50,000 Chinese officials sent to Singapore for training. Since the 1990s, China and Singapore have cooperated on several master’s degree programmes. An early example was in 1993 when Shanghai Jiao Tong University started a master’s in business administration (MBA) programme in Singapore, marking the first graduate school set up by a Chinese university abroad. Following this, universities like Peking University and Tsinghua University partnered with Singapore universities — the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University — to offer master’s programmes.
The third stage, from the 1990s onwards, involved a rapid expansion in Chinese higher education. Since 2016, Southeast Asian students have become the largest foreign student group in China. In the 2021-2022 academic year, students from Southeast Asia represented approximately 30 per cent of the total number of international students in China, totalling over 100,000, while approximately 62,000 Chinese students studied in ASEAN countries. By 2025, China aims to achieve a total of 300,000 two-way student exchanges between China and ASEAN.
The drivers of this collaboration vary. For China, educational cooperation is a means of cultural diplomacy to improve its image. The 2024 State of Southeast Asia Survey by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute indicates that 50.1 per cent of Southeast Asian respondents distrust China. This highlights the importance of people-to-people exchanges. To address this, China has initiated higher education projects targeting young elites in Southeast Asia, such as the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship, which supports top Southeast Asian students pursuing graduate degrees in China. In 2023, China announced plans to establish 10 China-ASEAN Institutes of Modern Craftsmanship and expand training initiatives for professionals from ASEAN countries. Additionally, China has collaborated with think tanks and leading universities in Southeast Asia to enhance public diplomacy.
Chinese universities face challenges from declining birth rates, with new births in 2022 falling below 10 million — fewer than university enrollments that year. This has led to potential closures and increased the need for international student recruitment and alternative sources of funding. While primarily government-funded, Chinese universities are encouraged to diversify their finances. At this, the recruitment of foreign students is a key strategy due to the higher tuition fees paid by such students. Generally, Southeast Asia — with its growing middle class and demographic dividend — offers significant opportunities.
Social and economic factors also drive students to study abroad. This is due to the competitive education environment and challenging job market at home. They opt for Southeast Asia for various reasons, including lower costs in developed countries such as Japan, South Korea and the US. In Malaysia and Singapore, for example, they can enjoy a comfortable cultural and language environment. In addition, graduating from certain private colleges in Malaysia, such as Sunway University and HELP University, can offer better opportunities for pursuing postgraduate studies in the UK. In 2021, Malaysia ranked 7th and Thailand 12th among study destinations for Chinese students.
While primarily government-funded, Chinese universities are encouraged to diversify their finances. At this, the recruitment of foreign students is a key strategy due to the higher tuition fees paid by such students.
Conversely, Southeast Asian students are attracted to Chinese universities for their proximity, lower costs compared to developed countries, and China’s growing regional influence. China’s advancements in higher education quality have also bolstered its appeal, with five universities in the top 50 of the 2024 Times Higher Education rankings. Additionally, the Chinese language environment attracts many Southeast Asian students. According to personal observations, most self-funded Southeast Asian students are of Chinese descent, are proficient in Chinese and have enrolled in Chinese-language programmes.
Three types of collaboration are evident in recent education partnerships. The first is government-led and supported initiatives, such as Confucius Institutes and scholarships. Currently, about 64 Confucius Institutes exist in Southeast Asia, supported by various scholarships that create a robust framework to learn Chinese language and culture.
The second type involves Chinese universities establishing campuses in Southeast Asia, such as Xiamen University’s campus in Malaysia (the first Chinese university to set up a campus abroad) and Soochow University’s campus in Laos. Additionally, Chinese private education groups are expanding into Southeast Asia by acquiring universities. Notable examples include XJ International Holdings acquiring INTI International University in Malaysia and China Yuhua Education Corp Ltd acquiring Stamford International University in Thailand. It is reported that over ten private universities in Thailand have been in discussions about acquisitions with Chinese investors.
The third type is emerging trilateral collaboration involving governments, Chinese universities, and Southeast Asian partners. An example is the Tsinghua Southeast Asia Center in Bali, which is supported by the Chinese and Indonesian governments.
Despite their achievements, these collaborations face challenges such as legislative and regulatory obstacles, language barriers, cultural disparities and intense competition. For example, Indonesian regulations require foreign universities to be ranked among the top 200 globally to establish a campus in Indonesia. In Thailand, foreign universities face restrictions due to foreign employee quota systems, which hinder improvements in education quality.
A crucial aspect of addressing these challenges is enhancing synergy among universities, private education firms, and markets through innovative collaboration models. For instance, two Chinese private education groups have partnered with President University in Indonesia to create an academy. This academy collaborates with Chinese vocational colleges and enrols Chinese students. Addressing shared challenges and exploring future possibilities can pave the way for sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships between China and Southeast Asian nations.
