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Dr Que Anh Dang (PI), Coventry University presented the PEER project’s key findings about UK transnational education (TNE) in the ASEAN countries and the increasing trend of student mobility post-Covid between China and ASEAN at the UK-Jiangsu World Class Consortium Conference held in Liverpool on 16-17 November 2023.

In her presentation, Dr Dang noted: 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced a notable shift in the ‘study closer to home’ mindset among Asian students, particularly impacting the study-abroad choices of Chinese students. In recent years, there has been a significant upswing in the number of Chinese students (c.a. 100,000 in 2023) opting to pursue education in Southeast Asia and ASEAN students (c.a. 80,000 in 2018) studying in China. While pragmatic reasons such as lower costs and less competition drive this trend, it is also an indication of the growing cultural and economic ties between China and Southeast Asia as part of the Belt and Road initiative, which was announced in Indonesia in 2013.

The PEER project asserts that ASEAN countries need a long time to develop international education programmes and enhance their mobility infrastructure to accommodate more international students. In the meantime, many UK TNE programmes in the ASEAN countries have attracted Chinese students, especially from the southern provinces of China. The PEER project also suggests that it is important to analyse the new trend of international student mobility within East and Southeast Asia through the lens of institutional differentiation.”