China’s Education Market and Foreign Suppliers of Education Services

Abstract

International trade in education services belongs to the category of international trade in services, which takes education services as its object. It has grown substantially over the past decades. Now it is a billion dollar industry including recruitment of international students, establishment of university campuses abroad, franchised provision and on line education. The education market in China is very large and still lack of development. It means opportunities to foreign suppliers of education services. WTO requires each member nation to make its own schedule of commitments in education services, and to explain its limitations on market access and national treatment as well as other limitations. Therefore, to understand China’s education market, you must understand China’s commitments in education services upon entry into WTO. This paper explains China’s commitments in education services under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and provides rough pictures about the meaning of China’s commitments to foreign suppliers of education services that are eager to either enter into China’s education market or absorb more Chinese students.