The New Silk Road and the “Idea of the University”

This chapter analyzes the influence of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as the Chinese government’s strategy on the “idea of the university” in China, with special attention to governance, mission, and role in society, as well as the values underpinning the model of the university. Results from this work imply that Chinese universities have not been changing dramatically through the BRI strategy as such. They have rather been on a pathway of transformation to which the BRI is adding opportunities, the extent to which seems to be mostly bound to disciplinary fields. STEM has already been a prominent global player for a while. Business schools that have been internationalizing for many years are now taking further entrepreneurial steps, and also specific areas in the humanities are exploring new international initiatives. While those trends show striking similarities regarding internationalization strategies in the West, some notable differences relate to China’s particular approach.