Chinese students in the global south: a case study of mobility to Chile

Abstract

PurposeThe following article Chinese students' migration projects to the global south. Little work has sought to deepen the understanding of Chinese students' mobility to developing countries. This is key to determining a more complete profile of Chinese students and whether they fit into the categories of foreign students described by mainstream literature.Design/methodology/approachIn order to understand the respective experiences and points of view of foreign students in on the process of choosing the country of study, we proceeded to identify different students of Chinese origin who have made their trip to Chile during the last decade. In addition, documents on China's international student mobility policy were reviewed, mainly focusing on documents dealing with Chinese students going abroad.FindingsChinese students are increasingly looking to travel to countries in the Global South as an opportunity to differentiate themselves. Chile emerges as an attractive destination as it is seen as a stable country in Latin America. It is a place where China has several strategic interests that may allow future professional development.Originality/valueThis article focuses on this aspect, mainly on how Chinese students perceive Chile as a place to pursue higher education. There is strong evidence of Chinese student flows to developed countries, but there are still insufficient studies on South-South mobility.