Sun Xiantao (china.cnr.cn):

Statistics show that in 2016, more than 500,000 students from China went to study abroad, while more than 400,000 international students came to study in China. Apparently, the gap between outbound and inbound students is narrowing, but in fact, of the 400,000 students, only half enrolled in academic courses, while the remainder came for short-term training.

China’s universities are still not attractive enough. As a bellwether of China’s higher education, Tsinghua is obligated to set an example by attracting a larger number of excellent international students.

When recruiting overseas students, top universities in other countries adopt a process of online applications and interview appraisals. Why then can’t Tsinghua do likewise to select outstanding international students?