Educating global Africans: possibilities of Chinese language learning in international higher education

The paper situates a major shift in global student mobility in the past decade: China has become the third leading host country for international students, enrolling 192,185 students from 196 countries in 2018, with significant proportions from Asia and Africa. Unlike traditional host countries where economic rationales and marketisation dominate, China’s policies position international students within soft power and public diplomacy goals (e.g., Belt and Road Initiative) and a vision to build a “community of shared future for mankind.” Despite growth in international higher education and Chinese language learning, there is limited research on how these programs shape student aspirations, especially among African students, the second largest inbound group. This study addresses that gap by exploring how Chinese language learning in a Chinese vocational college engages African students with global citizenship education (GCE). The central research question is: How can Chinese language learning educate African students as global citizens and strengthen their capacities to secure sustainable development and augment common goods in the global system? The study argues that Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) in higher education has transformative potential beyond instrumental aims, fostering global citizenship dispositions such as intercultural understanding, social participation, and contribution to the common good.

African students in Chinese higher education: China hosted 81,562 African students in 2018, reflecting expanded China–Africa ties in trade, investment, and cultural diplomacy. China’s engagement includes scholarships and funding for language programs, providing alternative pathways with lower academic and financial entry thresholds. While some critics frame China’s involvement as neo-colonial, the paper notes African education’s historic subjection to external forces and the relative unfamiliarity of Chinese language and systems to African students, raising questions about the benefits of China’s influence. Teaching Chinese to international students in China: China’s soft power efforts include the Study in China Programme (SiCP) and the International Promotion of Chinese Policy, enabling international students to transition into degree programs after intensive Chinese language study. Policy rhetoric frames Chinese language as contributing to global commons (cultural diversity, global talent) toward a shared future. However, the specific role of tertiary-level Chinese language learning in realizing this vision for African students remains underexplored. Global citizenship education (GCE) in the foreign language classroom: Foreign language education serves both instrumental and educational aims, linking classroom learning to civic and social action. GCE emphasizes competencies and values beyond linguistic proficiency, including criticality, democratic values, empathy, respect for diversity, social participation, and responsibility for equity and sustainability (UNESCO; Oxfam). For transnational youths, GCE leverages their cross-border experiences but must also consider their underprivileged backgrounds. The paper proposes weaving CFL with GCE to advance social justice-oriented aims and challenge politicized narratives about Chinese language promotion.

Design: Qualitative case study focusing on aspirations and global citizenship among African international students learning Chinese in higher education. Setting and participants: A vocational college in Southeast China engaged in foreign aid and South–South cooperation since 2007. Nine self-funded African students enrolled in a Chinese language program were purposively and conveniently sampled based on availability and consent. Participants came from Benin, Tanzania, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Burundi, with varied prior Chinese learning experiences and educational/work backgrounds. Data collection: One-to-one semi-structured interviews (approximately 1 hour each) conducted in May–June 2021, at times/places chosen by participants. Verbal consent obtained; interviews audio-recorded. Interview topics covered decision-making, life and academic experiences, Chinese language teaching/learning, and post-study aspirations. The study context included a notable hidden curriculum (e.g., resources, cultural artifacts, events) shaping students’ aspirations. Analysis: Transcription followed by deductive thematic analysis aligned with Oxfam’s (2015) dispositions of global citizenship (awareness of the wider world; valuing diversity; understanding how the world works; outrage at injustice; community participation; willingness to act for equity/sustainability; responsibility for actions). Double-blind coding with trained research assistants via email/meetings minimized bias and ensured reliability. Validity was supported through dialectic engagement between theory and empirical data and use of established theoretical frameworks. Ethics: Ethical approval obtained from the Committee on Human Research Protection at East China Normal University (IRB00013174). Verbal informed consent from participants.

• Language proficiency as empowerment and participation: Students initially experienced anxiety and exclusion in daily interactions due to limited Chinese proficiency and being labeled as “foreigners.” Over time, improved Chinese enabled confident participation in local communities, reduced fear, and fostered a sense of mobility and connectedness (“I can go everywhere”), highlighting Chinese as linguistic capital facilitating local-to-global engagement.
• Developing respect for diversity and intercultural openness: Through Chinese language learning and immersion, students compared perspectives, cultivated patience, and changed behaviors, indicating growth in critical, empathetic, and intercultural dispositions. They articulated respect for different viewpoints and affirmed that diverse individuals each have a place in society, reflecting GCE values.
• Critical responses to social injustice: Participants reported instances of racial/ethnic othering and discrimination. While expressing outrage at injustice, they developed nuanced understandings that some behaviors stemmed from limited exposure to foreigners, demonstrating critical reflection and intercultural understanding consistent with “reading and rewriting the world.”
• Aspirations for sustainable development and common good: Students envisioned applying skills learned in China to address needs in their home countries (e.g., building local e-commerce platforms, sharing knowledge with peers). Motivations were framed around problem-solving and contributing to community welfare rather than solely personal gain, aligning with ethics of mutuality, reciprocity, and sustainability.
• Emergence of cosmopolitan/global identities: Rather than acting as overt “para-diplomats” for China, students developed cosmopolitan attributes—intercultural awareness, social participation, and commitments to equity and sustainability—central to GCE. The findings suggest CFL can foster dispositions enabling informed engagement with global challenges. Data points: Nine African international students across multiple national origins participated; interviews conducted May–June 2021; dispositions analyzed per Oxfam’s seven GCE dimensions.

The findings address the research question by showing how Chinese language learning in a Chinese higher education setting can cultivate global citizenship dispositions among African students. Language proficiency facilitated community engagement and reduced social distance, while intercultural encounters prompted critical reflection, empathy, and respect for diversity. Experiences of othering motivated deeper understanding of structural and cultural factors and a resolve to contribute positively, rather than withdraw. Importantly, participants articulated aspirations to leverage their skills for sustainable development and the common good in their home contexts, evidencing a shift from individualistic to socially responsible orientations. These results challenge politicized narratives that portray CFL as a geopolitical threat; instead, they indicate that CFL in higher education can be a pedagogic space for fostering cosmopolitan identities aligned with GCE, contributing to broader goals of mutuality and shared prosperity articulated in Chinese policy rhetoric. The nexus of CFL and GCE thus offers a constructive avenue for soft power that emphasizes educational value and social contribution rather than instrumental state promotion.

The study contributes an empirically grounded account of how Chinese language learning can function as a site for global citizenship education among African international students in China. Beyond its instrumental benefits, CFL supported students’ development of intercultural openness, critical awareness of injustice, community participation, and commitments to equity and sustainability. The authors recommend integrating GCE aims into CFL curricula to link language learning with community engagement and complex global issues, thereby enhancing the worldwide promotion of Chinese language education and advancing soft power in a manner oriented to the common good. Future research should expand participant samples across more African countries and contexts, providing deeper insights into varied experiences and further elucidating the potentials and constraints of CFL-GCE integration.

The study involved a small sample (nine participants), with approximately half from the same country, which may simplify or limit the diversity of perspectives across the African continent. Findings are context-specific to one vocational college in Southeast China and primarily based on self-reported narratives, limiting generalizability. The study calls for follow-up research with larger and more diverse cohorts to provide more comprehensive, comparative insights.