Caixin: China’s Quest for “World Class” Universities

The ideas, studies and research pursued at the world’s top-ranked universities stimulate innovation and economic growth. China has targeted 42 universities for increased funding to improve their global rankings – Peking and Tsinghua universities may not have far to go, ranked 27th and 30th, respectively, by World University Rankings. Another 96 universities have been ordered to improve their research profiles in specific fields. China has 2,600 universities. “The ambitious plan comes as China seeks to transform itself into a science and technology powerhouse, committing 2.5% of the country’s GDP to research and development each year,” reports an article in Caixin. “But, it threatens to widen the gap between a few elite schools and other education facilities in the country, academics warned.” Authorities did not reveal funding amounts, standards or methods for evaluating progress. – YaleGlobal