UQ and China

Partners in the global economy

UQ has more student mobility, research collaborations, and commercialisation partnerships with China than with almost any other country. The strong linkages are a result of long-standing partnerships with Chinese institutions, particularly the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and some of the country's most influential industry bodies and organisations, including Baosteel and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. 

Fast facts



12,251

Chinese students enrolled at UQ


1,085

 China-UQ co-publications


245

academic staff born in China


35

research project collaborations


30,161

alumni in China


145

agreements with 89 official partners

Fast facts show full year 2023 data. 

Collaboration in action

  • UQ recently hosted the third collaborative forum in which academics and researchers meet to discuss issues of national and international significance, and how these can be advanced by collaboration in the humanities and social science disciplines.
  • PhD student Michael Meriades spent a month in Shanghai working for a startup company, thanks to the China Mobility Program. A self-confessed language geek, Michael found his skills were in demand.
  • More than 400 University of Queensland students will have the valuable opportunity to travel to the Indo-Pacific region to gain practical experience next year under the New Colombo Plan Mobility program.
  • UQ students Daniel Hutchison and Daniel Parnell spent four weeks in Tianjin as part of the Confucius Institute’s 2017 UQ Research, Study and Experience Tour to China. They reflect on their time abroad, and their exposure to a new culture and language.
  • Six University of Queensland students have been awarded Westpac Bicentennial Foundation Asian Exchange Scholarships. The $12,000 bursaries fund students to spend a semester studying at a leading Asian university.
  • Visiting the world’s largest hydropower dam will be a highlight for three University of Queensland Bachelor of Environmental Management (Honours) students who are undertaking three months industry placement in Wuhan, China this semester.

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Chinese culture at UQ

UQ has a long history of providing Mandarin language and Chinese culture programs, with the first Chinese classes held as early as 1967. Today, UQ students can study Mandarin Chinese through the School of Languages and Cultures, which offers more than 50 Chinese courses including Techniques in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, and Chinese Translation and Interpreting.

The Institute of Modern Languages (IML) also offers Chinese courses (Mandarin and Cantonese) for the wider Brisbane community, as well as translation and interpreting services. In addition, the Confucius Institute manages programs and events that foster engagement between Australia and China.

Alumni

China is home to a significant UQ alumni network - UQ has 30,161 alumni living in China. Alumni with significant links to China include:

Deputy Head of Mission to China and former Consulate-General in Guangzhou (Bachelor of Arts (Hons) 1994)
Professor and Chief Physician at School of Medicine and Director of Global Health Program at Research Centre For Public Health, Tsinghua University (Master of Tropical Health 1992)
Global Chair, KPMG Global China Practice; Head of Infrastructure, KPMG China (Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) 1992)
Karen Yih
Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Development, Starbucks China (Bachelor of Commerce 1993)
Chief Strategy Officer at Tencent Music Entertainment Group (Bachelor of Commerce 2001)