The Road
Seeking New Partnership Opportunities: QS China Summit in Chengdu
Bold leadership and agile partnerships are more important than ever, according to the conversations which took place in Chengdu.
By QS
"Given the disruption that AI innovation is bringing to many industrial fields, close partnerships with industry has never been more important for universities charged with preparing graduates with the skills to succeed."
More than 300 education stakeholders convened in Chengdu at the QS China Summit 2025 on April 9-10.
With the theme, Navigating New Pathways: Education and Innovation in China and Beyond, attendees joined to discuss the need for continued sustainable partnerships between Chinese and international higher education institutions, as well as a changing landscape increasingly informed by developments in Artificial Intelligence.
Speaking at the opening of the event in the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan, QS Senior Vice President, Edward Harcourt, said:
“There is a huge opportunity for universities, including universities all across China, to create and sustain research partnerships and strengthen and diversify links to international partners,” he noted.
General Trends in Student Reviews
Across all global regions, reviewers’ overall ratings for universities have decreased, with the largest drops for institutions in Australia (-0.3) and the US (-0.26). Only European universities have experienced a sustained rise in overall ratings between 2017 and 2024, specifically those in Spain, Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands, which are represented in this dataset.
Ratings for Australian universities, in particular, have struggled to rise after a significant drop between 2019 and 2021, likely due to COVID-19 and the rapid transition to online learning. Since 2022, EDUopinions has also asked reviewers if they are international students, and overall ratings from international students for Australian universities dropped between 2022 and 2024.
Meanwhile, trends in ratings for US institutions can broadly be mapped onto the presidential elections. There was a decrease in university ratings during President Donald Trump’s first term (2017-2019) and a subsequent increase when President Biden took office in 2021. While ratings for US universities rose in 2024 (similar trends were noted for UK and EU universities), overall, US institutions have suffered a significant drop in ratings (4.56 in 2017 to 4.23 in 2023).
Harcourt pointed out the continued success of joint venture institutions such as Duke Kunshan University, NYU Shanghai, Wenzhou-Kean University, the Tianjin Juilliard School and also the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. Additionally, Queen Mary University of London’s partnerships in China now enroll over 6,000 students.
“Industry-academia partnership also offers a wealth of opportunities for universities not only to elevate institutional performance, but also to contribute to society and equip students and graduates with the skills necessary for the working world. Given the disruption that AI innovation is bringing to many industrial fields, close partnerships with industry has never been more important for universities charged with preparing graduates with the skills to succeed.
“Employers worldwide have identified that there is a huge skills gap amongst graduates in active learning. In the changing landscape of labour demands spurred by AI and automation, it is more important than ever for graduates to take responsibility for their own learning beyond the standard curriculum, applying critical thinking and problem-solving skills to learning, as well as collaborating with other graduates.”
Agile Partnerships to Drive Innovation
Speakers also highlighted that bold leadership and agile partnerships are more important than ever and that AI and automation must be ethical and remain human-centred.
Beijing Foreign Studies University is seeking to bridge cultural divides through courses in 110 languages, while Tsinghua University is embedding AI into curricula, with Vice President Professor Bin Yang, telling the audience, “AI is a tool to empower humanity, not replace it.”
Director of Analytics & Evaluation at QS Leigh Kamolins said:
“Awareness of the innovation taking place with in the Chinese higher education sector is gradually increasing and it was impressive to see the outstanding work continuing to be recognised.
“Attendees joining the event showed a shared commitment to pushing forward and learn from one another in an effort to make a real impact globally.”
Khalifa University, which co-hosted this year’s event, signed two key agreements with Sichuan University in a bid to enhance cooperation in research, innovation and higher education.
President of Khalifa University, Dr. Ebrahim Alhajri, said:
“Our visit to China continues to strengthen Khalifa University’s strategic partnerships with some of the country’s top institutions. I was honored to meet with Prof. Jinsong Wang, President of Sichuan University, where we signed two key agreements to advance collaboration in student and faculty mobility, research, innovation, and higher education.
“This milestone builds on our recent engagements with Tsinghua University and China University of Petroleum, Beijing, reinforcing our commitment to impactful, long-term collaboration across key scientific and technological domains.
“Together, we are shaping a global ecosystem of academic excellence, research, innovation, and shared progress towards developing the next circular economy.”
Some 340 delegates from 24 locations joined the two-day event, making it the largest QS China Summit to date.
The QS China Summit 2026 next year will be hosted by Harbin Institute of Technology in Shenzhen.
