International students in China are back in the news again, this time for the treatment they receive that favours them over their local compatriots when it comes to university admission standards. Time to level the playing field, says a proposal attracting much support online.
中国的国际学生再次成为新闻焦点，这次是因为在大学入学标准方面，他们所获得的待遇比当地同胞更优惠。一项在网上吸引了大量支持的提案称，是时候创造公平的竞争环境了。
The call has come from a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Gao Yanming, who is also Chairman of the Hebei Ocean Shipping Company, proposed that international students should not receive any preferential treatment.
这一呼吁是来自中国人民政治协商会议（CPPCC）的一位委员。河北远洋运输公司董事长高燕明提出，留学生不应受到任何优惠。
On 7 March, the Global Times reported Gao as saying, “Chinese universities should not blindly pursue a quota of enrolled students while ignoring the quality of students, compromising the reputation of national academia and breaching education rights”.
3月7日，《环球时报》报道高先生表示，“中国的大学不应一味追求招生名额，而忽视学生质量，损害国家学术界的声誉，侵犯受教育权”。
2018 saw 492,185 international students enrolled in mainland China, from 196 countries and regions, says Ministry of Education data.
教育部数据显示，2018年，中国大陆共有来自196个国家和地区的国际学生492,185人。
In the field of education in China, the word “international” means a foreign-passport holder. And this also applies to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao.
在中国的教育领域，“国际”一词是指持有外国护照的人。台湾、香港、澳门也是如此。
This is where it gets sticky. Parents who envision a future for their child in which they may attend a prestigious university abroad often go to extremes. Arranging to give birth elsewhere, the child then has the right to attend a school in China licensed to admit foreign-passport holders only. In Nanjing, such schools include The British School of Nanjing and Nanjing International School.
这就是它变得粘稠的地方。为孩子设想未来能进入国外名牌大学的父母往往会走极端。安排在其他地方分娩后，孩子有权就读中国境内仅允许外国护照持有者入学的学校。在南京，此类学校包括南京英国学校和南京国际学校。
For the super wealthy, they might invest in a country with favourable policies in this regard. A million X can be enough to secure citizenship which can be passed on to descendants. Then there are the “immigration services companies” and the even-more disreputable agents that “sell” passports and identity cards for so-called, low-income nations.
对于超级富豪来说，他们可能会投资在这方面有优惠政策的国家。一百万 X 就足以获得公民身份，并可以将其传给后代。然后还有“移民服务公司”和更声名狼藉的代理商，为所谓的低收入国家“出售”护照和身份证。
As the child matures, they will also find the law in China skewed when it comes to university life. Under the present system, international students may enter Chinese universities with examination scores lower that those for Chinese nationals. A score of between 300 and 400 in the university entrance examination (Gaokao) can secure them admission. Chinese candidates, on the other hand, likely need well over 600 to go to a decent uni.
随着孩子的成熟，他们也会发现中国的法律在大学生活方面存在偏差。在现行制度下，国际学生可以以低于中国学生的考试成绩进入中国大学。高考成绩在300分至400分之间即可获得录取。另一方面，中国考生可能需要超过 600 分才能进入一所像样的大学。
International Students & Chinese Parents Alike Exploit Loophole
国际学生和中国家长都在钻漏洞
It is this discrepancy that is at the heart of the debate. As of last Sunday, 7 March, the hashtag, “proposal for raising the admission standards for international students in China”, on Weibo had attracted 140 million views. Many of those were from Chinese parents looking to take advantage of the loophole.
正是这种差异才是争论的核心。截至3月7日上周日，微博上“关于提高来华留学生招生标准的建议”的话题阅读量已达1.4亿。其中许多来自希望利用这一漏洞的中国父母。
But, while China has often provided foreigners with preferential treatment as a way to lure talent, change is in the works.
但是，尽管中国经常向外国人提供优惠待遇作为吸引人才的一种方式，但变化正在发生。
Some industry analysts are citing that reform is already taking place; they have called Gao’s proposal unprofessional. The famed Tsinghua University, for example, moved away from paper-based exams in 2016. Personal Statements submitted online in lieu since have upped the quality of international students, they argue.
一些行业分析师表示，改革已经在进行；他们称高的提议不专业。例如，著名的清华大学在 2016 年取消了纸笔考试。他们认为，此后改为在线提交个人陈述，提高了国际学生的质量。
Yet, the whole controversy may well end up being academic, so to speak. With growing numbers of universities abroad accepting Gaokao scores to bolster their income from Chinese students, there will be little need to go to the hassle and expense of acquiring a foreign passport. For like it or not, China is already a fully-fledged member of the global education club.
然而，可以说，整个争论很可能最终变成学术性的。随着越来越多的国外大学接受高考成绩来增加中国学生的收入，将不再需要花费太多精力和费用来获取外国护照。不管你喜欢与否，中国已经是全球教育俱乐部的正式成员。
