A New York Times story on higher education in China offers a fascinating look at the issues involved in China’s investment in developing human capital to strengthen its workforce and economy. The article lists the many challenges facing Chinese leaders, educators, and businesses in this effort. Among them are capacity and quality of higher education institutions. 

The article points to IIE’s Open Doors statistics to show that the number of Chinese students in U.S. higher education is at a record high. "In part, this reflects the prestige of studying abroad, and that more Chinese families can afford the cost and are looking for ways to get their money and their children out of the country as a way to hedge their risk against internal political or economic turbulence. But it is also because a Western college education is better, and Western universities do not require the same high marks as Chinese ones do on China’s famously difficult college entrance exams," reporter Keith Bradsher writes. 

Read the full article here. Access the full Open Doors data here.