London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 16, 2025

UK universities see boom in Chinese students

The number of Chinese students coming to the UK has increased by more than 30% in the last five years.

It means China now sends more students than any other country, inside or outside the EU, to the UK.

The 120,000 Chinese students are an important source of income for universities because international students pay fees two to three times higher than UK students.

The government is keen to attract more students to the UK.

But MPs have warned that universities are naive in underestimating the influence of the Chinese government on campus.

The figures are startling. Since 2014-15, the number of Chinese students in the UK has grown from 89,540 to 120,385, compared with 26,685 students from India.

But numbers have not yet peaked.

'A wider view'

The University of Liverpool has been one of the most successful in recruiting from China, which now provides almost one in five of its students.

More than a decade ago it was involved in creating a new university in the city of Suzhou, near Shanghai.

Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University runs degree courses which involve students coming to Liverpool for two years.

By the end of the decade, the joint venture is expected to have grown to almost 30,000 students.


Some also choose Liverpool directly - including Renwei Deng, whose love of The Beatles prompted him to choose it for his degree in accounting and finance.

Now in his final year, he calls himself Kevin and is part of an all-Chinese band, Mandarin Crisis, that plays in local venues.

He says: "I wanted to see a different culture, to truly see what I'd seen on TV about different countries. And I wanted to experience different values.

"It makes me think more objectively especially about global matters, I won't see them through only a Chinese perspective, I'll have a wider view."

But, like all the mainland Chinese students I meet, Kevin politely but firmly declines to be drawn into commenting on anything that might be controversial - including the recent protests in Hong Kong by pro-democracy campaigners.

Censorship concerns

Chinese families often pay for students' British undergraduate courses.

But dozens of postgraduate scholarships are being funded by the Chinese government.

MPs have expressed concerns that universities are not thinking through the implications of relying on significant amounts of Chinese money.

The Foreign Affairs Select Committee said they were being naive about the potential risks around intellectual espionage or freedom of speech.

Tom Tugendhat, the former committee chairman, says when a university does a deal to set up a campus abroad or recruit lots of students, it's not just about bringing in money to the UK.

He wants universities to engage more with the Foreign Office to get advice. "In some countries censorship comes with the cash, and in others control comes with the students.

"Those students will not just be bringing open minds ready to learn, but also the apparatus of state control either through direct influence or through pressure exerted on their families that really is completely foreign to British universities."

Mr Tugendhat thinks UK universities should follow the example of some in the US and Australia, which have asked the Confucius Institute - which promotes Chinese language and culture - to move off campus.

The recent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong have brought issues around freedom of speech to the fore on some campuses.

Speaking anonymously, students at universities in other parts of the UK, said that was something they had experienced directly.

One said: "If I get identified by the Chinese embassy or government, I might put the safety of relatives living in China under threat."

There have also been reports of intimidation after posters were put up on campus supporting democracy in Hong Kong.

A student said: "I've had death threats on mainland people's group chats saying they'll kill me over things I've put up, saying they'll bring knives to kill me. They've also harassed me by putting up photos of where I stay."

And another said: "They are doing things that are not really acceptable, but everyone seems to be accepting them for what they are, for the short-term benefits."

While they feel able to complain, they fear the financial contribution from Chinese students could make universities reluctant to be firm.

'Too big to ignore'

So would a university such as Liverpool welcome a pro-democracy campaigner to speak at an event on campus?

Prof Gavin Brown, pro-vice-chancellor at the university said they would want to be sensitive to relationships with any partner, but ultimately were part of the academic tradition of free speech in the UK.

"They are welcome. We think it's far better for a university to provide a place where views can be expressed but also challenged and debated."

So does he think they are in danger of being influenced overtly or subtly by the amount of money flowing into the university from China?

"China is now the second largest research and development economy in the world. They have a quarter of all research and development scientists in the world.

"We cannot afford the contributions that Chinese research can make."

In essence, China is too big to ignore, and has so much money and research capacity that universities around the world will continue to engage with it.




Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
×