“Not happy Jan”: China has another go at Aus universities

 By DIRK MULDER

 A statement  on the Chinese Ministry of Education website warns Australian universities partnering with Chinese institutions “have insufficient investment in high-quality education resource.”

The ministry’s Degree and Graduate Education Development Centre nominates, Uni Southern Queensland, RMIT, Griffith U and Swinburne U.

It follows Chinese state media referring to (but not specifying) “a series of vicious attacks on Chinese students that have happened recently in multiple places in Australia, (CMM February 8).

The ramifications of the Ministry’s statement are potentially huge.  Australian universities have 90 plus teaching-focused relationships with Chinese institutions, especially important now, given COVID-19’s enrolment impact.

And universities are already looking to transnational education partnerships with Chinese universities as a new market, post pandemic.

The ministry adds evaluation of Australian universities will start “at an appropriate time,” with institutions to be notified.

This leaves on-line learning the only Australian education product not on notice, for now. It’s not a preferred medium in China but the government eased up on approvals last year, to help Chinese students at home stick with their Australian courses.

That Beijing is not happy Jan is now clear – adding on-line to the list would make it even clearer education is a trade-war target.

Dirk Mulder is CMM’s international education correspondent