China Power | Diplomacy | East Asia

More and More Global Leaders Went to Chinese Colleges. Does That Matter?

Does receiving a Chinese education sway Asia’s leaders and, by extension, foreign policy?

Then-South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok visits Tsinghua University, his alma mater, in Beijing China, June 23, 2026.

On June 23, 2026, South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok walked onto the campus of Tsinghua University in Beijing, where he had earned a law degree in 2010. “I believe that my time studying at Tsinghua University will remain one of the most beautiful memories of my life, forever cherished and held close to my heart,” he told his hosts. Kim had flown in from Seoul on early morning flights, he recalled, just to make it to class on time. (Kim has since resigned from office to become the chair of the ruling Democratic Party.)

Three weeks earlier, Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith had stood in the dormitory room at the Central Party School where he had lived during a month-long program in 2000. “Though the campus has undergone some changes,” he said, “the places where I lived and studied remain just the same.” 

Both leaders returned to a Beijing alma mater within three weeks of each other. They are not alone. 

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the president of Kazakhstan, studied at the Beijing Linguistic Institute (now known as the Beijing Language and Culture University) in 1983-84 and speaks fluent Mandarin. In April 2026, Le Minh Hung took office as Vietnam’s prime minister; in 1996, he had completed a training course on market economy and financial analysis at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. 

With four neighborhood countries now having top leaders who have studied in China, does this mark a new phase in Chinese educational diplomacy in its periphery, or is it little more than a biographical curiosity?

Three forces explain the growing cohort of Asian leaders who spent time at Chinese schools.

First, Chinese universities have risen sharply in global rankings. In the 2026 U.S. News Best Global Rankings, Tsinghua – a public institution that traces its roots back to 1911 – placed sixth globally, accompanied by 10 other mainland institutions in the top 100. A degree from a top institution in China now carries weight both at home and abroad.

Second, and related, education investment has grown steadily. China has maintained public education spending at or above 4 percent of GDP since 2012, a benchmark enshrined in national policy and actively monitored. This is a dividend from decades of economic growth directed back into the education system. Between 2021 and 2024, China........

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