EU-China Education Diplomacy: An Effective Soft Power Strategy?

Abstract

This article is intended to focus on the educational aspect of the soft diplomacy between the EU and China, with emphasis on the case study of the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Programme created by the European Commission that funds hundreds of Chinese students and scholars every year to study in Europe and its equivalent in China - the Chinese Government Scholarship (EU Window). After an overview of the EU-China educational exchange and cooperation, the second section will examine how the EU and China develop education diplomacy in a cooperating manner. The third section will be dedicated to two case studies: the EU's Erasmus Mundus Programme, with focus on the Masters and Doctorate Scholarships for China, and the Chinese Government Scholarship (EU Window). It will present and analyse the results of two surveys specially designed to evaluate the impacts of both programmes on their Chinese and European beneficiaries. The article will conclude with evaluation of the effectiveness of EU-China education diplomacy and discussions of the potential constraints.