Brain Drain or Brain Gain: A Growing Trend of Chinese International Students Returning Home for Development

ABSTRACT

International education and international student mobility are becoming increasingly popular in the era of globalization, which has triggered discussions on brain drain, brain gain, and brain circulation. Nonetheless, international student mobility has been significantly not only by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic but also by the new geopolitics clearly adversely influencing the diplomatic relationships between China and the USA with its allies in the West. In view of the growing complexity closely related to how international politics affecting international learning and student mobility, there is a reverse trend of Chinese international students choosing to return to China in recent years against the worsening relations between China and some major powers in the West. This chapter sets out against the broader political economy context to examine the intentions of Chinese high-level talents graduating from major universities overseas to return to mainland China to pursue their career development. More specifically, this chapter examines the high-level talents’ overall feelings about China and foreign countries from their perspectives. Special attention is given to high-level talents’ preferred institutions and provinces or regions for their career development. Analyzing the major survey data generated from a research project conducted by Peking University, this chapter discusses policy implications for talent attraction and retention for the GBA. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.