In common with most institutions in the sector, Keele is aiming to expand its connections in China. As part of this work, in September 2023 I joined a mission of Vice-Chancellors, Pro-VCs, and senior staff from 20 UK universities. We visited Beijing, Shanghai, and some other cities. The meetings were engaging and we learnt a lot. But we did this in a context of a chorus of concern voiced by many politicians that the UK’s HE links are already too close.
British Council, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and Universities UK International (UUKi) organized a comprehensive programme. We were the first formal group visit to China since the pandemic. Previous groups often took a specific focus, such as scientific research, or were set up by organisations such as the Russell Group. The September tour was representative of the whole sector, with an approximately equal representation between Russell Group and non-RG universities.
The 2023 UK-China Higher Education Forum was a major highlight. Co-curated by the British Council and the CEAIE (China Education Association for International Exchange), 40 Chinese universities attended the Forum.
