Sustainable Future of Higher Education Internationalization in China: An Analysis of Research Trends Before and After the Pandemic
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Abstract
This study investigated the changes in the internationalization of Chinese higher education before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic significantly disrupted physical mobility and caused a decline in international student numbers, yet it accelerated the adoption of virtual exchange programs and online collaborations. China’s internationalization policies, particularly those linked to the Belt and Road initiative and Education Modernization 2035, were influenced by these shifts. This study utilized data from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) covering the period from 2017 to 2022 and employed bibliometric analysis methods to examine the research literature. CiteSpace software was applied to visualize the structure of scientific knowledge and generate various knowledge graphs for data analysis and visualization. The results revealed that prior to the pandemic, internationalization efforts emphasized China-centric policies, global competitiveness, and Western partnerships, while post-pandemic research highlighted a shift towards globalization, regional (Asian) collaboration, and quality enhancement through digital and hybrid learning modalities. This study provides implications for developing sustainable higher education internationalization policies in post-pandemic China.
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