How education shapes future of China-Bangladesh BRI cooperation

As China-Bangladesh Belt and Road cooperation marks its 10th anniversary on October 14, 2026, education should be seen as a lasting investment in the next generation, through scholarships, research, and university partnerships.

When I left Bangladesh in 2018 to pursue higher education in China, studying abroad was a distant dream for a young man from a modest family. The Silk Road Scholarship, a Chinese government scholarship program under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), made it possible for me to pursue a master's degree at Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics (JUFE). A subsequent Chinese Government Scholarship supported my PhD in International Trade. Today, I teach at Sanming University in East China's Fujian province.

My journey is personal, but its significance extends beyond individual achievement. It shows that educational opportunities can turn diplomatic goodwill into human development. As China and Bangladesh mark a decade of cooperation under the BRI in 2026, education should be treated as a central part of that partnership.

The BRI is often discussed through highways, bridges, ports, railways and power plants. These investments strengthen physical connectivity. Yet another form of connectivity develops in classrooms, laboratories and university campuses. It builds knowledge, professional capabilities and relationships that can endure long after infrastructure projects are completed.

Education should therefore be central to the next decade of China-Bangladesh cooperation.

Scholarships that change lives

For students from families with limited financial resources, international education can be prohibitively expensive. Tuition, accommodation, living costs, and insurance may put overseas study beyond reach, regardless of academic ability. Scholarships help bridge this gap, allowing talented students to pursue opportunities that might otherwise remain inaccessible.

China offers several pathways, including the Chinese Government Scholarship, administered by the China Scholarship Council (CSC), the Silk Road Scholarship, provincial and municipal scholarships, university grants and specialized programs. Depending on the scheme, assistance may cover tuition, accommodation, medical insurance and living expenses.

The scale of this opportunity is significant. According to reports, approximately 4,500 Bangladeshi students have benefited from the Chinese Government Scholarship since 1981. For the 2025-26 academic year, 80 Bangladeshi students received the award.

These numbers represent more than scholarship allocations. They represent young people gaining access to advanced education, professional skills, and international experience.

In my case, the master's degree opened a path to doctoral research, which in turn created opportunities for an academic career in China. Each stage built on the previous one, demonstrating how educational investment can generate benefits well beyond the duration of a scholarship.

China's universities and the human dimension of the BRI

China's international education sector provides a broader context for this cooperation. According to figures reported by Chinese authorities in September, approximately 380,000 international students from 191 countries and regions studied in China during the 2024-25 academic year. Asian students accounted for 61.1 percent, while African students represented 16.2 percent of the total. Approximately 8 percent of international students were recipients of Chinese Government Scholarships.

For Bangladesh, cooperation with Chinese universities is particularly relevant as the country seeks to strengthen industrial capacity, diversify exports, improve technological capabilities, and prepare its workforce for a changing global economy.

The Silk Road Scholarship connects international education with the BRI's wider objectives. Its potential lies not simply in enabling students to travel to China, but in equipping them with knowledge that can be applied to development challenges at home and through international collaboration.

The true measure of success, therefore, should not be the number of students who receive scholarships alone. It should include what they learn, the problems they become equipped to solve, and the partnerships they establish after graduation. That is how education becomes a strategic pillar of cooperation.

From students to bridges between countries

My years at JUFE introduced me to China's academic environment, research culture, and economic development experience. Studying international trade helped me examine China-Bangladesh economic relations through research. Becoming a university teacher later gave me a different perspective: I could contribute to the same educational environment that had helped shape my professional journey.

This transition illustrates the multiplier effect of educational cooperation. A graduate returning to Bangladesh might contribute to a university, public institution, or private enterprise. Someone building a career in China might facilitate research collaboration, help businesses understand each other's markets, or mentor future international students. Both pathways can strengthen bilateral ties.

Neither country should view this exchange as a one-way transfer of knowledge. Chinese universities can contribute research expertise, advanced facilities and technological experience, while Bangladeshi academics and students bring valuable knowledge of local markets, development challenges and social conditions. Strong partnerships recognize the contributions of both sides.

What the next decade should deliver

The 10th anniversary offers an opportunity to make educational cooperation more ambitious, practical, and clearly aligned with shared goals.

First, both countries should expand transparent, merit-based scholarship opportunities, improve access to reliable information about eligibility and applications, and give particular attention to talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Second, universities should move beyond individual student mobility towards sustained institutional partnerships. They should pursue joint research projects, co-supervised doctoral programs, faculty exchanges and collaborative laboratories in renewable energy, agricultural technology, public health, artificial intelligence, logistics, digital trade and climate resilience.

Third, educational cooperation should connect more closely with practical development. It should support industry-linked research, internships, vocational training and professional certification so students can apply academic knowledge to real-world challenges. Partnerships should respond to clearly identified needs rather than focus simply on signing agreements.

Fourth, alum networks should become a more systematic part of bilateral relations. They should help mentor prospective students, connect researchers and businesses, and improve university programs. Their experiences can turn individual educational opportunities into wider institutional and economic benefits.

Finally, scholarships must be supported by effective academic supervision, language assistance, cultural orientation and strong research environments. Success should be assessed through graduation rates, research quality, career outcomes and lasting collaboration—not enrollment figures alone.

Building a bridge that lasts

The future of China-Bangladesh relations will depend not only on the infrastructure the two countries build, but also on the capabilities they develop together. Physical connectivity moves goods across borders; educational connectivity enables people to create knowledge, develop businesses and solve shared problems. That is why education should be treated as a lasting bridge between the two countries.

I arrived in China as a student with limited means and a determination to pursue higher education. Scholarships helped make that ambition possible, and the opportunities that followed eventually brought me into a university classroom as a teacher. My experience does not represent every student's journey, but it demonstrates what sustained educational cooperation can make possible.

For Bangladesh, the challenge is to translate educational opportunities into stronger research institutions, technological capacity, and productive employment. For China, the opportunity is to deepen bilateral ties by nurturing a generation of professionals who understand both countries and can work across cultural and professional boundaries.

Ten years into BRI cooperation, the next milestone should be more than a list of completed projects. It should be a generation better equipped to learn, innovate, and cooperate. The most enduring bridge between China and Bangladesh may ultimately be built not only from concrete and steel, but from the knowledge, skills, and human relationships carried by the students who cross it.

The author, Mohammad Saiyedul Islam, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer and Researcher at the School of Overseas Education (School of Foreign Languages), Sanming University in East China's Fujian province, and a Senior Research Fellow at the Belt and Road Research Centre, Daffodil International University, Bangladesh.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.