CHINA

Chinese and UK universities forge new links

Universities in the United Kingdom and China have announced a series of new partnerships, expanding opportunities for students to learn overseas, reports People’s Daily. David Willetts, the UK universities minister, revealed the new initiatives during the biggest ever trade mission to China last week.

Globally the education market is worth US$4.5 trillion annually. The government is supporting UK universities to expand their exports through the International Education Strategy, launched earlier this year. “In China, and around the globe, the market for education is growing rapidly. We are determined that our world-class universities should build on the UK’s position as the education partner of choice for China,” Willetts said.

The education partnerships announced include the University of Nottingham investing £25 million (US$41 million) in a Marine Economy Research and Technology Transfer Centre, as well as £27 million in the development of its Ningbo campus. It is also signing an agreement with Guangdong University of Finance and Guangdong provincial government to establish the Guangdong-Nottingham Advanced Finance Institute, which will train up to 2,000 Chinese financial specialists each year.
Full report on the People’s Daily site