Indonesia’s decision to send 1,000 government-funded scholars to China marks a major shift in its international education strategy, academics say.

A new scholarship programme with Tianjin University will see at least 50 students a year study in China, signalling Indonesia’s deepening education ties with the country, which may come at the expense of its traditional links with destinations such as the UK.

The Dharma Bhakti Warga Bumiputra Indonesia initiative, launched in Jakarta by the Warga Bumiputra Indonesia Foundation (YWBI) and the Indonesia-China Committee of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KIKT), will fund young Indonesians to pursue higher education abroad, with medical training a central priority.

Hendropriyono, YWBI chairman, said the programme was designed to develop professional talent for “various strategic sectors in Indonesia, particularly in the medical field”.

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He said the collaboration “marks the beginning of a higher education scholarship programme for Indonesia’s young generation”.

“This initiative is expected to strengthen national human resource capacity in line with the president’s directive to add at least 5,000 new doctors to serve across the country,” he said.

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Garibaldi Thohir, KIKT chairman, said the partnership was not only about expanding access but also about strengthening bilateral ties.

“We believe a nation’s future is not only determined by its economic strength but also by the quality of its human resources,” he said.

“Through this collaboration, we aim to expand learning opportunities for Indonesian youths while deepening the friendship between both nations.”

A memorandum of understanding signed between KIKT and Tianjin University will also send at least 20 Indonesian educators and professionals annually for training and promote joint academic-industry research.

While the UK has historically been one of the most popular destinations for Indonesia’s government-funded scholars, the new agreement signals a diversification of Indonesia’s outbound strategy and a strengthening of its partnerships within Asia.

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Simon Marginson, professor of higher education at the University of Bristol and University of Oxford, told 51�Թ� the initiative was “more evidence of the rise of China in science”.

He said it reflected not only institutional strength but also geopolitics: “China is prioritising relations with the 51�Թ� South and investing substantial state funds in international education. The UK and USA are cutting back on foreign aid including educational aid, so look and are less welcoming than before, and less welcoming than China.”

Marginson said the perception of Chinese universities had shifted dramatically.

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“Universities in China are on the up and especially in STEM education and research, where on some measures they are now as strong as or stronger than universities in the United States, and a much larger system than the UK. So going to China is no longer an inferior outcome when compared with going to the West,” he said.

He warned that the UK could not rely on previous assumptions about prestige. “It is no longer possible to operate talent mobility policy on the basis that perceived superior UK quality ensures a strong inward flow of self-financing talent… that old margin is narrowing. It has already vanished in STEM fields like mathematics, engineering, computing, chemistry and materials.”

Janet Ilieva, director of Education Insight, a research consultancy that specialises in international higher education, said the announcement was part of a wider regional shift.

“The share of students choosing to study closer to home has been rising, with evidence that more students from Indonesia and the rest of ASEAN now enrol in other Asian systems, including China, rather than in English-speaking destinations,” she said.

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“Indonesia is reallocating a smaller scholarship pot in a world where traditional destinations are less welcoming and regional options are growing.”

tash.mosheim@timeshighereducation.com