Reimagining China–US university relations: a global ‘ecosystem’ perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study is among the few that attempt to connect two popular topics, the rapid growth of Chinese higher education and the shifting China–US university relations. Now both the Chinese and US higher education are among the top systems in the world—in terms of their sizes and standards. While Chinese and American university ties have been among the most important higher education relations, they now move towards decoupling. Against this backdrop, this study situates the growth of Chinese higher education and China–US university relations in the discourse of a global higher education ecosystem, and explores what China–US university relations would mean to this global ecosystem, how they may evolve, as well as the implications for the global ecosystem. This study draws on Marginson's four heuristic narratives explaining science inquiries as a global space of activity and perception, and develops an analytical lens to apply to data collected from relevant databases and literature in order to reimagine China–US university relations in the various models. Finally, this study maintains that the universities in both countries share the obligation and responsibility to work together for sustaining and nourishing this global higher education ecosystem, particularly in an Anthropocene epoch.