mk Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on March 2, 2025. A total of 517 enterprises and institutions from within and outside the region offered 13,500 job positions, covering fields such as manufacturing, chemical engineering, finance and internet technology. Photo: VCG" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2025/2025-03-02/8f75f043-1ee8-45a8-8c67-800bc36ee07a.jpeg" />

University graduates talk with recruiters at a national-level joint recruitment event in Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on March 2, 2025. A total of 517 enterprises and institutions from within and outside the region offered 13,500 job positions, covering fields such as manufacturing, chemical engineering, finance and internet technology. Photo: VCG

Multiple Chinese universities have recently announced plans to expand enrollment, prioritizing national strategic needs. An expert noted on Sunday that talent is the driving force behind the development of new quality productive forces and will provide a solid foundation for China to secure an advantage in the growing international competition.

Peking University announced on Saturday that it will increase its undergraduate enrollment by 150 spots in 2025, with the new admissions plan focusing on areas of national strategic importance, fundamental disciplines and emerging frontier fields.

Tsinghua University also plans to increase its undergraduate enrollment by about 150 spots and establish a new general education college, with a focus on cultivating interdisciplinary talent in artificial intelligence (AI) and other fields, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Renmin University of China announced that it will continue to increase its undergraduate enrollment by more than 100 spots in 2025, with a focus on meeting national strategic needs. Shanghai Jiao Tong University will further increase its undergraduate enrollment by 150 spots, concentrating on frontier technologies and emerging industries urgently needed by the nation, and expanding enrollment in fields such as AI, integrated circuits, biomedicine, healthcare and new energy.

During the ongoing "two sessions," the annual meetings of China's national legislature and top political advisory body in Beijing, talent and technology have been key topics of discussion.

The 2025 Government Work Report, delivered to the third session of the 14th National People's Congress for deliberation on Wednesday, urged efforts to foster talent with expertise of strategic importance for the country and redouble efforts to nurture top-tier innovators, urgently needed personnel in key areas and highly skilled workers. 

"We will move ahead with reforms of higher education institutions on a categorized basis, take solid steps to expand quality undergraduate education, accelerate the development of world class universities and academic disciplines, and refine the mechanisms for discipline adjustment and talent training models," the report said.

Zheng Shanjie, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, told a press conference on Thursday during the "two sessions" that China will continue to promote the quality improvement and upgrading of higher education, expand the enrollment of high-quality undergraduate programs, and further increase the undergraduate enrollment in "Double First Class" universities. Last year, 16,000 spots were added, and this year, the goal is to add another 20,000 spots.

China has developed the largest higher education system in the world, but there are still gaps in fostering top-tier innovative talent. The quantity and quality of such individuals still fall short of international advanced standards, Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday.

With the acceleration of technological advancements, especially in the context of rapid advancements in AI, demand for talent development has become more stringent. There is a growing need for innovative thinking, interdisciplinary expertise, strong teamwork abilities, a global outlook and strong sense of ethical responsibility, Wang said.

In recent years, governments at all levels have stepped up efforts to foster and attract high-end talent. These trends have significantly boosted the country's industrial development and economic growth. The concentration of high-end talent strengthens industrial competitiveness through innovation and technological upgrades, while boosting local economies by fostering entrepreneurship and employment. It drives the development of new quality productive forces and lays a solid foundation for China to gain an edge in the intensifying global competition, Wang added.

In July 2024, Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng told a press conference that China's higher education population had reached 250 million, with new workforce entrants receiving an average of more than 14 years of education. The country also has the world's largest pool of research and development personnel.