Leina Shi, Director of Education at British Council China, tells us how her international education journey started studying English at secondary school, which eventually motivated her to come to the UK for her undergraduate studies. Leina shares her experience of international education opening opportunities to students and her view of the importance of creating international platforms bringing together different perspectives to create collective knowledge and explore solutions to shared challenges. 

She stresses the role that international education and the British Council play in providing such a platform, helping in the process to improve and deepen reciprocal understanding and changing individual mindsets and perspectives. Leina also reflects on the current state of UK-China relationships in education, looking at future developments, and stressing the need to improve the quality of UK-China conversation based on better-informed views of both countries’ needs and priorities… and recollects the memorable experience of accidentally meeting a former student who benefitted from being admitted for her UK degree without formal qualifications.