A systematic review of the literature on policies to encourage the return of Chinese students abroad

To obtain a reverse in the recent increasing brain-drain, the Chinese government has instituted policies for attracting students studying abroad to return to China. This article offers insights into the incentives created by the state and how returnees respond to the policies in the process of their implementation. The study analyzes empirical studies and literature reviews on Chinese returning students and policies regarding them published during the years 2012–2022. Four major research topics are dealt with: the methods initiated by China to coerce and encourage students to return to China, the reaction of overseas students to these initiatives, other invisible effects of policy on overseas students, and influential factors that encourage their return.