Major Chinese University to set up Oxford campus

One of China's world-ranked universities will set up a campus in the English city of Oxford to boost the development of China's higher education.

Peking University HSBC Business School plans to open up a new campus, located in Boars Hill just outside the city, to students in the summer of 2018.

Students studying at PHBS-Oxford will be given the opportunity to study one year at the Oxford campus and another year on the PHBS Shenzhen campus.

Oxford is home to one of Britain's oldest and most internationally acclaimed universities.

Hai Wen, vice-chairman of Peking University Council, said: "The University would like to see more students from England and the rest of Europe come to China, so students can study at our Oxford campus as a preparation to start their studies in China."

He added that the new campus also provides a platform for Chinese students to go to the UK.

"It is of great importance to PHBS' further internationalization, and this initiative aims to facilitate academic exchanges among China, UK and Europe," Hai said.

The University said that the two year Oxford Shenzhen course is "a great opportunity to gain international values and experiences".

Peking University is ranked 29th in the World University Rankings 2016-17 according to London-based publication Times Higher Education.

Programs for the Oxford campus will focus on China's economy, financial market and corporate management.

Hai said: "China's role has become an important one in terms of globalization. For many people in UK, Europe and even the US and other countries, they are now interested in China, not just to study the culture, but people want to understand China's economy, financial sector and so on."

Foxcombe Hall, where the campus will be based, was built in the 1890s and bought by the Open University in 1979. Peking University HSBC Business School agreed to take over the property after May this year.

Many UK universities have already created branch campuses on the Chinese mainland. The University of Nottingham established a campus in Ningbo in 2003, the first foreign university to open in China.

In 2006, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, in Suzhou, China was the first Sino-British joint venture between research-led universities. Zhenjiang University and Imperial College London have also collaborated on several projects.