communicate in a foreign language and conform to unfamiliar academic rules. English language journals and books dominate the international academic research environment and Altbach (2004) also argues that the most widely used international citation data bases are in the English language, placing non-native English speakers at a distinct disadvantage. However, Ding (2008); Starr (2009) and Yang (2010) identify changes in the higher education landscape in China and argue that the CCP has put in place plans to challenge the hegemonic dominance of western universities and the trend of English language as the global lingua franca through the adoption of soft power policies and practices. Soft power is defined as ability to get ‘the what you want through attraction rather than coercion or payment’ (Nye 2004 p.34) and one of the most potent soft power projects in China is the establishment of Confucius Institutes (CIs). Yang (2010) argues that projection of soft power through the formation China’s of CIs is challenging north imbalances and inequalities. Yang (ibid.) –south asserts that the CI programme is planned soft China’s ‘most systematically power policy so (ibid. p.237) and he claims that it demonstrates new form far’ ‘a of higher education internationalisation, featuring a much improved China’s balance between introducing the world into China and bringing China to the world within an altered global landscape of higher (ibid. p.237). Starr education’ (2009) also argues that China understands the critical role of higher education in the projection of soft power in using international exchange and collaboration to expand its global influence.
communicate in a foreign language and conform to unfamiliar academic rules. English language journals and books dominate the international academic research environment and Altbach (2004) also argues that the most widely used international citation data bases are in the English language, placing non-native English speakers at a distinct disadvantage. However, Ding (2008); Starr (2009) and Yang (2010) identify changes in the higher education landscape in China and argue that the CCP has put in place plans to challenge the hegemonic dominance of western universities and the trend of English language as the global lingua franca through the adoption of soft power policies and practices. Soft power is defined as ‘the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion or payment’ (Nye 2004 p.34) and one of the most potent soft power projects in China is the establishment of Confucius Institutes (CIs). Yang (2010) argues that China’s projection of soft power through the formation of CIs is challenging north –south imbalances and inequalities. Yang (ibid.) asserts that the CI programme is China’s ‘most systematically planned soft power policy so far’ (ibid. p.237) and he claims that it demonstrates ‘a new form of China’s higher education internationalisation, featuring a much improved balance between introducing the world into China and bringing China to the world within an altered global landscape of higher education’ (ibid. p.237). Starr (2009) also argues that China understands the critical role of higher education in the projection of soft power in using international exchange and collaboration to expand its global influence.