分类： education

In a landmark achievement for Hong Kong’s higher education sector, eight local institutions have secured positions in the highly competitive 2026 Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings, with two of the city’s flagship universities holding onto their places among the region’s top 10 academic institutions.

The University of Hong Kong maintains its standing as one of Asia’s leading universities, climbing one spot to claim sixth place regionally, while The Chinese University of Hong Kong holds the 10th position. Four other established Hong Kong institutions also earned places in the top 50: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ranks 12th, City University of Hong Kong takes 14th, Hong Kong Polytechnic University comes in at 18th, and Hong Kong Baptist University secured the 40th spot.

Most notably, two smaller Hong Kong institutions have broken new ground by earning their first ever placements in the Asia top 100 list. The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) debuted at an impressive 37th place, while Lingnan University earned its spot at 84th.

Christine Choi, Secretary for Education of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, attributed this collective strong performance to the administration’s long-term strategy of sustained funding investment and targeted policy measures designed to strengthen Hong Kong’s global education competitiveness. In a public social media statement, she noted that the outcome reflects the consistent progress of Hong Kong’s higher education ecosystem on the global stage.

Choi added that the Education Bureau will continue to deepen collaborative partnerships with local higher education institutions to consolidate and expand Hong Kong’s position as a leading international hub for tertiary education and global talent development.

John Lee Chi-Kin, President of EdUHK, described the university’s first-time entry into the top 100 ranking as a defining milestone in the institution’s development. He emphasized that the achievement is a direct reflection of the university’s unwavering commitment to advancing high-impact, solution-focused research and fostering a dynamic, globally connected learning environment that attracts students and scholars from across the world.

The annual Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings is one of the most widely recognized assessments of higher education performance across the continent. The ranking evaluates participating institutions across 135 independent indicators grouped into five core performance pillars: teaching quality, research environment, the real-world impact and citation quality of published research, international outlook and collaboration, and industry knowledge transfer and engagement.

China has launched its first ever nationwide pilot initiative that merges professional higher education with systematic standardization training, a landmark move designed to build a skilled workforce that combines deep industry expertise with mastery of uniform industry rule-setting and implementation. The initiative, announced jointly by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Education on Tuesday, has approved 281 individual projects hosted by 253 higher education institutions across 30 of China’s provincial-level administrative regions.

The training program targets strategically important growth industries and core livelihood sectors, spanning high-priority areas from artificial intelligence and intelligent manufacturing to the fast-expanding low-altitude economy, food quality and safety, and modern consumer and business services. To bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world industry demand, more than 80% of the approved projects have partnered with external stakeholders including manufacturing enterprises, research institutes, and other standardization-focused bodies, bringing 373 separate organizations into the initiative overall. Authorities project the program will train close to 40,000 skilled professionals who combine strong disciplinary foundations with advanced proficiency in standardization knowledge and practice.

Three distinct training models have been rolled out to cater to different talent development goals, each with clear enrollment and curricular requirements. The foundational public education model requires participating institutions to offer at least three standardization-focused public elective courses, totaling a minimum of three academic credits, and reach at least 400 enrolled students within a two-year timeline. This model is focused on building a broad base of core knowledge in standardization theory and methodological frameworks.

The targeted professional education model, by contrast, centers on applying standardization practices to on-the-ground industry challenges. Participating institutions must deliver at least four specialized standardization-integrated courses, or one or more “mini-major” programs consisting of no fewer than six courses totaling 10 academic credits. This pathway trains students to apply standardization methodologies to solve complex professional problems in their core fields.

For institutions aiming to cultivate high-level specialized talent, the multi-degree model supports the creation of full second bachelor’s degree programs in standardization-related fields, requiring a minimum enrollment of 20 students within a four-year implementation window. This pathway is designed to produce senior talent that combines deep expertise in a core industry discipline with advanced specialized knowledge of standardization.

Leading national higher education institutions including Renmin University of China and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications are among the selected pilot participants. Industry and academic leaders have widely welcomed the initiative, pointing to a critical nationwide gap in skilled standardization talent that has held back industry growth and global competitiveness.

Jia Xiaoshuang, an associate professor at Renmin University of China’s School of Information Resource Management, explained that many of China’s top technical experts in cutting-edge fields from high-speed rail to artificial intelligence possess world-class technical skills, but lack training in translating technical concepts into formal standard language. “Standardization is an independent academic discipline, and many technical practitioners remain unfamiliar with its core rules and processes,” she noted. As China works to expand its global industrial influence, demand for professionals capable of drafting national, industry, and group standards has risen sharply, making the pilot program a critical first step to address this gap.

Jia emphasized the strategic importance of standardization leadership in global trade and technology: “A long-held business adage holds that second-rate companies manufacture products, while first-rate companies set industry standards. If China cannot secure a meaningful voice in global standard-setting, its domestic products and technologies will face significant barriers to gaining widespread international acceptance.”

For the fast-evolving artificial intelligence sector, standardization training is an especially urgent priority, according to Gu Xinyu, an associate professor at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications’ School of Artificial Intelligence. “AI technology is advancing at breakneck speed and penetrating deep into every vertical industry, and it increasingly touches on issues of public safety, data compliance, and cross-system interoperability,” Gu explained. “Without unified, widely accepted standards, the sector will face persistent problems of technical incompatibility, isolated data silos, and unaddressed safety risks.”

Using intelligent transportation as a case in point, Gu noted that AI can only reach its full transformative potential if all stakeholders adopt common data formats, communication protocols, and interface specifications. “If AI models, sensors, and control systems from different manufacturers cannot connect and share data seamlessly, data silos and fragmented systems will drastically undermine overall system coordination,” she said. “Standardization acts as the critical bridge that moves AI from laboratory prototypes to large-scale industrial deployment, ensuring the technology remains controllable, trustworthy, and interoperable across platforms.”

In line with the pilot program requirements, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications is integrating “standardization thinking” directly into its core artificial intelligence curriculum. Core AI courses will now include dedicated modules covering intelligent communication standards, AI ethics standards, data quality standards, model development and evaluation standards, and system security standards. “Our goal is to train students not just as technology innovators, but as active participants and even lead formulators of global industry rules — professionals who can embed standardization best practices directly into their technical work,” Gu said.

China has launched its first-ever nationwide pilot program designed to integrate traditional professional higher education with specialized standardization training, a landmark move that addresses a critical talent gap in the country’s key industrial and public service sectors.

The joint initiative was rolled out this week by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Education, which officially released the finalized list of approved pilot projects on Tuesday. Across 30 provincial-level administrative regions, 253 higher education institutions have been selected to host 281 individual pilot projects, covering a broad spectrum of strategically important domestic sectors ranging from high-tech growth fields to public livelihood-focused industries. Key sectors included in the program are artificial intelligence, intelligent manufacturing, the fast-expanding low-altitude economy, food quality and safety regulation, and the modern service industry.

Unlike standalone academic programs, this pilot scheme heavily emphasizes industry-academia collaboration to ensure training aligns with real-world market demands. Official data shows more than 80 percent of all approved pilot projects have partnered with external stakeholders including manufacturing enterprises, specialized research institutions, and other standardization-focused entities, bringing a total of 373 third-party organizations into the collaborative training framework.

Authorities project that over the course of the program, the participating institutions will graduate nearly 40,000 professionals who combine solid foundational expertise in their core field with comprehensive proficiency in standardization knowledge and practices. This output is expected to meaningfully ease the widespread, urgent shortage of cross-skilled talent that has held back growth in many of China’s key emerging and regulated industries.

The pilot program operates through three distinct, targeted training models tailored to different student career goals and institutional capacities. The first is a public education model, which requires participating institutions to offer a minimum of three public elective courses focused on standardization, amounting to no fewer than three academic credits, and deliver these courses to at least 400 enrolled students within a two-year timeline. This model is designed to build broad foundational awareness of standardization theories and practices among students from all academic backgrounds, cultivating a large pool of entry-level professionals with core standardization literacy.

The second track is the professional education model, which requires institutions to deliver at least four standardization-linked specialized courses, including a minimum of two compulsory courses, for a total of no fewer than six academic credits. As an alternative, institutions may develop one or more “mini-major” tracks focused on standardization-related applications, requiring at least six courses totaling a minimum of 10 academic credits. This model focuses on teaching students how standardization frameworks are implemented in real industrial contexts, equipping them to apply standardization methodologies to solve practical professional challenges in their respective fields.

The third, most advanced track is the multi-degree model, which supports participating institutions to establish full second bachelor’s degree programs in standardization-related fields. The requirement for this model is to enroll at least 20 students across a maximum four-year implementation period. This track is designed to cultivate high-level talent that combines deep expertise in a core professional field with cutting-edge, specialized standardization knowledge to meet advanced industry demand.

One of China’s leading institutions for global language and cross-cultural education is pushing forward with ambitious plans to grow its international student population, building on explosive two-year growth that has already cemented its top national ranking. In an exclusive conversation with China Daily, Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) President Duan Peng outlined the institution’s rapid progress and long-term growth targets.

Between 2023 and 2025, BLCU’s total international student enrollment jumped 350% to hit 12,000, data shared by Duan shows. Over that same two-year window, the number of international students pursuing full academic degrees at the university increased even faster, rising fivefold from 2023 levels. These gains have pushed BLCU to the leading position among all Chinese higher education institutions, holding the top rank nationally for both total international student enrollment and the size of its degree-seeking international student cohort.

Looking ahead, the university is aiming for continued expansion through the end of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan period, which runs from 2026 to 2030. By the conclusion of that planning cycle, Duan said BLCU expects to grow its total international student population to 16,000, a further 33% increase from 2025’s record enrollment. The expansion aligns with broader national efforts to position Chinese higher education as a leading global destination for international study, strengthen people-to-people cultural ties between China and the rest of the world, and boost Beijing’s standing as an international education hub.

As a university long focused on promoting Chinese language learning globally and fostering cross-cultural exchange, BLCU’s enrollment growth reflects rising international demand for access to Chinese higher education and academic opportunities, university observers note. The planned expansion is also expected to deepen the institution’s role as a bridge connecting Chinese scholars and students with global peers, supporting broader academic collaboration and cultural exchange initiatives.

April 16, 2026, marks a key milestone for one of China’s newest innovative higher education institutions: City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan) (CityUHK (Dongguan)) celebrates its second anniversary since its official establishment.

To chronicle the young campus’s remarkable two-year trajectory of expansion and innovation, a China Daily Website team arranged a unique on-site journey, pairing Douglas Dueno, an American expert contributing to the outlet, with Ivy Su, a member of the university’s very first cohort of graduates. Together, the pair walked across the modern campus to explore the foundations that have driven the institution’s fast rise.

Their tour covered the full range of cutting-edge infrastructure and student-centered amenities that set CityUHK (Dongguan) apart. They stopped at the university’s advanced research laboratories, which are equipped with top-tier instrumentation to support cross-disciplinary innovation, before moving on to the modern, resource-rich library built to facilitate both student learning and academic collaboration. The tour also highlighted the institution’s immersive all-English teaching model designed to prepare students for global career paths, spacious two-person student dormitories that prioritize comfortable campus living, and expansive, well-maintained sports facilities that support student wellness and extracurricular engagement.

As the young institution enters its third year of operation, its leadership has laid out clear long-term goals: to continue expanding academic and research capacity, sustain its momentum of rapid, high-quality growth, and evolve into a world-class higher education institution recognized for uncompromising excellence in research, teaching, and talent development. Audiences can view the full recorded campus tour via China Daily’s original video feature to learn more about the university’s vision and progress.

On Friday, the Guangzhou Affiliated School of Jinan University (JNU) for Hong Kong & Macao Students (ASJ Guangzhou) officially launched its purpose-built new Poly campus in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, marking a key milestone in expanding science, technology and innovation-focused education across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

Nestled in Guangzhou’s rapidly developing Pazhou area, a major national hub for digital economy innovation, the new campus is strategically positioned to tap into the region’s thriving tech ecosystem. It is designed to build a fully integrated K-12 science and innovation education framework that bridges secondary education, higher learning and industry practice.

A core highlight of the new campus is a suite of specialized innovation labs dedicated to cutting-edge technological fields, including artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital art. These hands-on learning spaces were developed in partnership with two of China’s leading technology firms: global telecommunications and tech giant Huawei, and Aridge, the innovation arm of leading Chinese new energy vehicle manufacturer Xpeng Motors. These collaborations allow students to gain access to industry-grade equipment, up-to-date technical knowledge and real-world project experience that cannot be delivered through traditional classroom curricula.

In an interview following the campus opening ceremony, ASJ Guangzhou Chief Principal Tam Yat Yuk explained the core mission driving the new campus development. “This initiative aims to connect the entire educational pathway from technology-focused high schools to universities and leading enterprises, fostering a comprehensive, end-to-end talent development pipeline,” Tam said. The integrated model is designed to nurture young talent with strong foundational technical skills and practical problem-solving abilities tailored to the GBA’s growing demand for skilled innovation workforce.

Founded in 2021, ASJ Guangzhou originally focused on serving the educational needs of children from Hong Kong and Macao. According to Tam, starting from the 2026 autumn semester, the school will expand its enrollment eligibility to include children of overseas Chinese, foreign nationals, and returned overseas Chinese talents, expanding its role as an inclusive educational hub connecting China with the global Chinese diaspora and international communities.

Located at the core of the GBA, one of China’s most economically dynamic and innovation-driven regions, the new campus is expected to strengthen educational connectivity between the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and global communities, while supporting the GBA’s long-term goal of building a global innovation and technology hub.

On April 9, 2026, the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) launched an ambitious five-year strategic blueprint on its Shanghai campus, designed to deepen cross-continental connections between China, Europe, and the broader global community through innovative, globally focused management education.

Founded as a collaborative venture between the Chinese government and the European Union in 1994, CEIBS has built its global reputation on its distinctive core positioning: “China Depth, Global Breadth”. Unlike many standalone business schools, it operates a multi-campus global footprint that extends beyond major Chinese hubs including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen to international locations in Zurich, Switzerland, and Accra, Ghana, giving it an unmatched on-the-ground presence across two continents and emerging markets.

Over the past five years, CEIBS has cemented its status as a world-leading business education institution, with a track record of consistent top-tier rankings. The Financial Times has ranked its Global Executive Master of Business Administration (Global EMBA) program among the top two programs globally for six consecutive years, while its full-time MBA program has held the number one ranking in Asia for a full decade. Beyond rankings, CEIBS’ business case studies have been accessed more than two million times by over 1,100 academic institutions across more than 80 countries. Its global alumni network now counts more than 34,000 members across over 90 countries and regions, with 85 percent of graduates holding senior leadership positions. Notably, 480 alumni serve as chairmen, presidents or chief executive officers at 437 listed companies in China, CEIBS President Wang Hong confirmed.

Looking ahead to the 2026–2030 strategic period, Wang outlined eight core pillars that will guide the school’s growth: reinforcing its position as a global top-tier business school, embedding meaningful social responsibility into all its programs, expanding its tenured world-class faculty body, developing targeted signature research themes aligned with global business needs, optimizing its academic program portfolio, deepening institutional and people-to-people engagement between China and Europe, accelerating full-scale artificial intelligence (AI) integration across all operations, and expanding support for its global alumni network.

As China enters its own 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030), the country’s economic and industrial landscape demands a new generation of business leadership, Wang explained. “What the country needs most is no longer simply experts in a single field, but rather versatile management professionals capable of bridging science and technology, industry, capital, organizations, and global norms. Our mission is exactly to cultivate such talents who understand both China and the world, technology and business, as well as who drive growth while taking on responsibility,” Wang said.

Frank Bournois, CEIBS’ European Co-President, emphasized that amid growing global geopolitical complexity and widespread economic uncertainty, CEIBS’ decades-long role as a pioneering bridge between China and Europe remains one of its most enduring and valuable competitive advantages. To adapt to shifting global business needs, the school will update its program portfolio to integrate emerging critical topics such as AI, deepen industry collaboration through dedicated engagement platforms, and increase the share of international students in both its MBA and Global EMBA programs to more than 30 percent per cohort.

Bournois noted that CEIBS’ cross-continental bridging role is both long-term and continuously evolving to match a changing world. “While external conditions may fluctuate, the demand for globally minded leaders with cross-cultural capabilities will only grow, reinforcing the school’s mission to connect Europe, China, and the wider world through management education,” he added.

A key innovation of the new strategic plan is the rollout of a groundbreaking “AI + HI (human intelligence)” dual-driven educational model, which is set to reshape the future of global business education. The model will drive a full-scale upgrade of the school’s teaching methods, research output, and campus operations, with the end goal of building a new smart, personalized, and high-quality ecosystem for global business education that leverages the strengths of both artificial and human insight.

A landmark cross-border educational exchange event unfolded this week in southwest China’s Chongqing, where the Chongqing Vocational Institute of Engineering welcomed a 30-member delegation of students and faculty from Russia’s Moscow State University of Technology (STANKIN) for a friendly China-Russia robotics competition on April 8. Held on a Tuesday afternoon at the institute’s China-Russia International School of Intelligent Manufacturing, the event blended competitive challenge with collaborative learning, far exceeding the scope of a traditional contest. Beyond the robotics matches, the full schedule included expert academic lectures, hands-on technical practice workshops, and guided site visits to local industry and research facilities. Through these multi-format activities, the visiting Russian delegation gained first-hand, in-depth insights into the rapid development of intelligent manufacturing in Chongqing, as well as the region’s dynamic industry-university cooperation model focused on advancing industrial robotics innovation. This robotics competition stands as a core component of a seven-day joint study tour co-organized by the two higher education institutions. Launched on April 7, the tour is designed to mark the China-Russia Year of Education, a bilateral initiative that aims to strengthen people-to-people bonds and deepen educational collaboration between the two nations. By bringing young engineering and technology talent together around a shared interest in robotics and intelligent manufacturing, the program highlights the steady deepening of educational partnerships between China and Russia, opening new doors for future joint research, student exchanges, and technological cooperation between academic institutions on both sides.

Higher education institutions across Beijing are reimagining the traditional spring break by launching comprehensive experiential learning programs that combine academic enrichment with practical skill development. Rather than treating the break as merely a vacation period, universities are designing structured activities including study tours, professional internships, and thematic educational events to encourage productive use of student downtime.

Beijing Information Science & Technology University has announced an extensive program schedule for its April 6-12 break, featuring 104 distinct initiatives spanning cultural heritage preservation, innovation workshops, community engagement projects, and international exchange opportunities. The university anticipates participation from over 6,500 students across these diverse offerings.

University President Guo Fu emphasized the institution’s supportive approach: “We encourage students to utilize this period according to their individual interests and goals—whether through structured programs like internships and study tours, or through self-directed activities such as reading and cultural enrichment.”

The movement extends across multiple prestigious institutions including Renmin University of China, Beijing Union University, and Beijing Language and Culture University. These schools have developed programs ranging from social research projects and volunteer initiatives to career-focused internships and ideological education excursions. Some institutions, including Communication University of China and China Women’s University, have designated the period as “Spring Reading Week,” while others are scheduling practice-oriented programs for later in April.

At the primary and secondary education levels, while no citywide mandate has been implemented, several schools in Haidian, Dongcheng, and Shijingshan districts are piloting educational tours coinciding with the upcoming Qingming Festival (Tomb Sweeping Day on April 5). These initiatives aim to blend academic curriculum with cultural immersion and social experience, creating holistic learning opportunities beyond classroom walls.

Hainan Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences (BiUH), China’s first fully independent foreign-operated university campus, is set to welcome 800 new students from 25 provinces and regions across the country this academic year. The announcement came during the institution’s 2026 Campus Open Day held in Danzhou on March 28, which attracted numerous prospective students and parents from Beijing, Shanghai, Hainan and other regions.

Established by Germany’s Hochschule Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSBI), BiUH represents a groundbreaking model in China’s higher education landscape as the first foreign university permitted to operate independently without local partnership requirements. The institution commenced operations in 2023 with its inaugural student cohort.

University President Ingeborg Schramm-Wölk emphasized the institution’s unique role as an educational bridge between China and Germany. ‘This event not only provides an important opportunity to showcase our educational achievements but also serves as a platform for dialogue, exchange, and mutual understanding,’ Schramm-Wölk stated. The university’s educational philosophy centers on integrating theoretical knowledge with practical application, aiming to develop high-quality professionals with international perspectives and innovative capabilities.

BiUH currently offers seven undergraduate programs: Computer Science and Technology, Digital Technologies, Industrial Engineering, Logistics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, and Business Administration. The establishment aligns with China’s broader strategic development plans for Hainan, which began with its designation as a pilot free trade zone in 2018. Subsequent plans unveiled in 2020 envision transforming Hainan into a globally influential free trade port by mid-century, including provisions for overseas universities in STEM, agriculture, and medicine fields to operate independently.

The provincial education department reports that Hainan has established partnerships with 48 domestic and international universities to date, including two independently operated foreign campuses and 26 Sino-foreign cooperative educational institutions and programs.