Peking University announced plans to open a new campus in Oxford, England in 2018.
The university says its HSBC Business School bought a medieval campus in Oxford from the Open University in Britain.
Near-term plans include building the Peking University Oxford Center and Shenzhen Oxford Innovation Center.
This purchase marks the first independent attempt by a Chinese university to build and manage an overseas branch school.
The move is considered in line with China’s push to improve its universities’ global rankings. The government has reportedly made a commitment to allocate up to 2.5 percent of its gross domestic product for research and development by 2020.
Meanwhile, enrollment next year at the Peking University Oxford campus will be open to students in the United Kingdom and Europe.
There are worries that the Oxford campus may push Chinese ideology on Western students. HSBC Business School head Hai Wen, however, said that going into overseas locations is a natural move for Chinese universities as the country’s economy and scientific expertise grows.
“Our overseas school will focus on China’s finance and enterprise management,” he said.
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Peking University goes to Oxford
