China in Global Education: The Race to Build the Future with AI

China's rise on the world map of higher education is one of the most important shifts of this century. Years of state investment, world-class research labs, and the success of the "Double First-Class" university project have made China one of the top study destinations in the world. But China's progress in education is not only about big campuses or old courses. The country is now transforming its entire education system with artificial intelligence (AI), and it is doing this at a scale not seen in many developed nations.

According to Stanford University's 2025 AI Index Report, about 83 percent of people in China believe AI brings more benefits than harm. In the United States, only 39 percent feel the same way. In the Netherlands, the figure is 36 percent. This gap shows how closely China has linked education with technology. For students from Bangladesh and the rest of the Global South, this AI-based education system is opening up a new world of opportunity.

State Policy: The National Smart Education Platform and AI+ Programs

In 2025, China's Ministry of Education launched the Education Digitalization Strategy 2.0. Its main goal is to connect AI to every level of education. At the center of this strategy is the National Smart Education Platform. As of 2026, this platform has over 178 million users from more than 200 countries and regions. It holds more than 145,000 quality online courses for higher education alone. Around 500,000 teachers and students from nearly 2,000 Chinese universities have completed AI training through this platform. Another 1.31 million undergraduate students have taken detailed training in AI applications.

Table 1: Key Figures of China's National Smart Education Platform (2026)

This platform does not just offer textbook videos. It uses AI-based data analysis tools to find each student's weak points and offer customized study material. Because of this, even students who struggle in rural areas can now access the same quality of education as those in big cities. Experts expect the use of smart education tools in Chinese universities to cross 80 percent by the end of 2026.

Real-World Use: From Squirrel AI to Tsinghua's Custom AI System

Two strong examples of AI use in Chinese education are Squirrel AI and Tsinghua University's MAIC system. Tsinghua University currently ranks first in Asia, according to several international rankings. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings places it 12th globally.

1. Squirrel AI: This is one of the world's most successful adaptive learning platforms. It uses AI to study each student's learning style and weak subjects, then builds a personal study plan. In rural primary schools in Hubei province, test results improved by a notable margin after students started using Squirrel AI. Millions of school and college students now use this platform.
2. Tsinghua's MAIC AI assistant: Tsinghua University built its own AI assistant system, called MAIC, using its self-developed GLM large language model. This AI assistant automatically creates lesson plans, grades assignments, and explains difficult topics to students through conversation. About 92 percent of Tsinghua students say they are satisfied with this AI tool. The university has also converted more than a hundred courses to this AI-supported teaching model, where teachers, students, and AI work together as a three-part learning system.

Tsinghua is not alone. Other top Chinese universities under the Double First-Class project—including Fudan, Zhejiang, and Wuhan—have made AI a core part of general education. Fudan University has launched more than a hundred general AI courses, which are now compulsory for all undergraduate and graduate students. The university also runs nearly fifty "X+AI" dual degree programs, such as Medicine+AI, Biology+AI, and Journalism+AI, so that students from any field can build AI skills. Zhejiang University has carried out several projects on using AI in education. Today, almost every Chinese university treats AI as a necessary part of its teaching.

Building Well-Rounded Students: Skills and a Global Outlook

China's AI-based education does more than improve grades. It builds students' professional and cross-cultural skills. In today's global job market, AI knowledge is no longer only for computer scientists. It has become essential in healthcare, agriculture, journalism, business, and policymaking. Chinese universities are adding AI modules to almost every subject, so that students leave university ready for a technology-driven workplace.

Students from many countries also study together on the same campuses. Today, more than 20,000 Bangladeshi students are pursuing bachelor's, master's, and PhD degrees in China (The Daily Star, 2025). Working and researching alongside people from different cultures and languages helps build their global leadership skills. International students also get more chances to do team research in AI labs. This means they can return home and apply new technology to their own country's development.

Long-Term Strategy: Double First-Class and CSC Scholarships

China's progress in AI education is not a short-term campaign. It is part of the country's long-term plan to build human capital. Through the Double First-Class initiative, the government has invested heavily in research and technology labs at top universities. The China Scholarship Council (CSC) gives talented students from around the world full scholarships, covering tuition, a monthly stipend, and medical care. Bangladeshi students who want to pursue a PhD in fields like AI, biotechnology, or microbiology often get priority for these CSC scholarships.

A Unique Opportunity for Bangladesh and the Global South

China has become one of the most attractive study destinations for students from Bangladesh and the rest of the Global South. The reasons include lower costs, world-class AI research facilities, full government scholarships, and a long history of friendly education cooperation between Bangladesh and China. Bangladesh faces many challenges in agriculture, health, and disaster management, and AI technology can help solve many of them. Chinese universities offer hands-on training in AI models for boosting crop yields, disaster forecasting systems, and AI tools for disease diagnosis. Foreign students can take this knowledge home and apply it in their own countries after they finish their studies.

China's education model is one that other Global South countries can learn from. It shows how state policy, technology investment, and human resource training can come together to build a knowledge-based economy. Long-term education and cultural cooperation between Bangladesh and China keeps growing every year. This institutional and technological excellence in AI is helping young Bangladeshi researchers and teachers build the kind of strategic skills that can directly support the modernization of our own education system, as well as our economic and social development, in the years ahead.

On the competitive global stage of education, China is using AI as a tool to build a new era of learning. From state policy to research labs at top universities, artificial intelligence is reshaping education at every level. The scale of these efforts, backed by real research, shows that China's AI-based education system is not only driving its own development. It is also opening new career paths for students from the Global South and helping their home countries grow. This is especially important for Bangladesh's young generation, because the AI skills they learn in China could bring real change to our agriculture, health, and disaster management sectors. As the world becomes more dependent on technology, China's experience in AI education offers Bangladesh a unique model to follow. It is time for Bangladesh to learn from this experience and move quickly to modernize its own education sector with technology.

The writer is a teacher, freelance journalist and storyteller.