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

  • Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met students from The University of Queensland in Dalian, China when he was visiting for the World Economic Forum’s ‘Summer Davos’ event early this month.
  • Ten collaborative research projects – ranging from bioengineering to the well being of refugees – have been successful in the first round of the 2017 UQ Global Strategy and Partnerships Seed Funding Scheme.
  • A Chinese company listed in the Fortune Global 500 for the past eight years, and home to more than 120,000 employees, will partner The University of Queensland in sustainable metals research.
  • The University of Queensland has partnered with education platform XuetangX to offer five massive open online courses (MOOCs) in Chinese, attracting an audience of more than 65,000 learners.
  • Corporate law associate and University of Queensland (UQ) Fellow Karim Issa has spent the weekend in Hong Kong to promote political, economic, and cultural relations. The Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Bachelor of Arts (extended major in Chinese) graduate was selected as UQ’s delegate to the Australia-China Youth Dialogue (ACYD), held on 28-31 October.
  • The University of Queensland has been awarded almost $1 million in the latest round of Federal Government New Colombo Plan mobility program funding.

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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)