Many advantages and greater opportunities.. That's why Arab students prefer to study in China

A group of Arab students during the Cultural Day event at a Chinese university (Al Jazeera)

BEIJING

- Recent years have witnessed a noticeable increase in the number of Arab students choosing to study in China. According to data from the Chinese Ministry of Education, more than 15,000 Arab students were studying in China, but the number decreased sharply during the Corona pandemic and the country’s closure for nearly 3 years.

According to a report on Chinese-Arab cooperation in the new era, issued by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the end of 2022, China has provided about 11,000 government grants to Arab countries since 2013.

According to data from the Chinese Ministry of Education, the number of Arab students is increasing by about 1% on an annual basis.

After China controlled the pandemic, allowed students to return and resumed offering scholarships, it is difficult to obtain accurate statistics about the total number of Arab students in China, and the number of students by nationality, due to the difference in the method of admission to university.

The student can study at the university by obtaining a scholarship provided by the Chinese government or the government of his country, or by relying on personal expenses.

Six years after Muhammad Al-Bashari arrived in China to obtain a doctorate from Dalian University of Technology, the young Yemeni now speaks Mandarin fluently. As for Karim from Egypt, he also speaks Mandarin 4 years after arriving in China to study a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering.

Yemeni nationality is considered the largest in terms of the number of Arab students in China, as the Yemeni Cultural Mission in Beijing estimates their number at about 6,000 students, followed by Sudanese and Egyptian nationalities.

In the Gulf, Saudi Arabia comes first, as the two countries witness growth in trade and economic relations, followed by Kuwait, Oman, and then the Emirates.

A group of Arab students studying at Chinese universities (Al Jazeera)

Academic and financial reasons

Known for their strong academic programs and cutting-edge research facilities, Chinese universities are increasingly attracting students from all over the world, including the Arab world.

At the beginning of 2022, 60 Chinese universities rose to international status, according to the QS World University Rankings.

Tsinghua University is considered the best in China, and is ranked 17th in the world according to the Times Higher Education rankings.

This academic motivation was behind choosing Hassan from Egypt to complete his doctoral studies in China, where he obtained a master’s degree from a French university.

Hassan told Al Jazeera Net that the majority of highly ranked universities in China require the publication of peer-reviewed research in the best scientific journals as a basic condition for graduation, and this is reflected in the student’s future career path.

Obtaining a fully funded scholarship from the Chinese government also positively influenced his decision, but academic motivation was paramount.

Doctoral researcher Muhammad Al-Bashari believes that technological progress in China and good infrastructure enhance the choice of studying in China, because they have a positive impact on the outcomes of theoretical study, especially in the fields of engineering and technological sciences.

Al-Bashari explains to Al-Jazeera Net that the recognition of Chinese programs by a number of developed countries enhances opportunities for academic and professional development after completing study and work outside China, and increases opportunities for competition to obtain work.

Al-Bashari adds that the costs of living and studying in China are considered lower compared to European countries, the United States, and other East Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea.

This is confirmed by Imad Shehab from Jordan, who arrived to study engineering project management as part of a scholarship provided by the Chinese government. He added to Al Jazeera Net that the educational system in China is an integrated, practical, application-oriented system, where the opportunity is available to participate in practical application projects.

Wider opportunities

China is the largest trading partner of Arab countries, with bilateral trade reaching about $430 billion in 2022, a historic record.

Based on this, many students consider studying in China a valuable opportunity to gain knowledge and insights that will be useful in the future.

According to the Global Times newspaper, an opinion poll conducted in 2023 in Dubai, targeting Arab youth, showed that 8 out of 10 participants consider China an ally, recording the largest number of participants in this opinion in 4 years. The Chinese newspaper said that the results of the survey indicate an increasing trend of positive feelings among Arab youth towards China.

Many of the students who Al Jazeera Net spoke to believe that studying or learning the Chinese language opens the door to a professional future for them within China or in their countries, while further expanding the scope and depth of direct exchanges between China and Arab countries in the fields of technology, education, culture and other fields.

The Chinese government requires students who receive its scholarship to study the Chinese language, or study specialization subjects in the Chinese language.

A meeting that brings together a number of Arab students in China during their vacation days (Al Jazeera)

Reasonable costs

Tuition fees vary from one university to another, whether public or private, but the majority of Chinese universities are public, with their average tuition fees ranging between $2,000 and $15,000 per academic year, depending on the academic specialization. While the cost in private universities ranges between 25 thousand and 50 thousand dollars annually.

Compared to some American universities, the average cost of studying there ranges between 30,000 and 35,000 dollars, in addition to the high costs of living, according to what the education services offices publish.

The Chinese government provides full scholarships that cover tuition, housing, and living costs, in addition to some partial scholarships that cover study costs only.

According to data from the Chinese Ministry of Education, until the beginning of the Corona pandemic, the country provided about 63,000 scholarships to international students, including 11,000 scholarships to Arab students, in addition to the presence of about 430,000 self-funded international students studying in China.

Source: Al Jazeera