More than half of cooperative education programs between China and other countries have focused on engineering disciplines, with the United Kingdom leading the total number of institutions, according to an annual report released by the China Education Association for International Exchange during the recent China Annual Conference and Expo for International Education.

Currently, China is home to nearly 2,000 cooperative education programs with foreign universities, according to the report. Countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, Canada and Russia are among the top collaborators, the report said.

The number of joint education projects with institutions from the Belt and Road Initiative has surged. Despite a concentration of projects in the wealthier coastal regions such as Guangdong province, Zhejiang province and Beijing, educational partnerships in central and western China are on the rise, reflecting the country's strategy to boost higher education in these regions.

Over 60 percent of "Double First-Class" universities, those involved in the initiative to cultivate world-class institutions and disciplines, have established international collaborative programs, with many of them focusing on graduate-level education, it added.

The educational cooperation is particularly concentrated in science and engineering, with programs aligned with the national policy of encouraging partnerships with top international institutions in the field, an official with the association said during the Symposium on High Quality Development for Chinese-foreign Cooperation in Education.

According to the annual report, engineering disciplines dominate the curriculum offerings in joint education programs, with engineering, management and economics being the most popular majors. The integration of interdisciplinary subjects, such as smart engineering and carbon storage, is on the rise.

As China seeks to address the challenges of the future, the focus is increasingly on fields that blend engineering with other emerging areas of innovation, the report said.

As a key partner, the UK has seen over 260 joint educational programs and institutions, including the Joint School of Southwest Jiao Tong University and Leeds University, said Hu Xuebin, head of education at the British Council in China. More than 81,000 students are currently enrolled in these collaborative programs, a 14 percent increase from last year.

"Over half of the joint programs between China and the UK focus on STEM fields, and these partnerships are not only expanding in number but also in quality," Hu said.

For instance, the SWJTU-Leeds Joint School has created a dynamic curriculum that combines traditional disciplines with interdisciplinary research, reinforcing a comprehensive knowledge base and engineering capability. The school maintains a high student training quality, with an average dual-certificate acquisition rate of 98.1 percent.

Similarly, the joint institute of Jinan University and the University of Birmingham emphasizes research-led teaching and student innovation, guiding students to apply knowledge in scientific research and academic competitions.

Students involved in the programs have excelled in both national and international competitions, winning numerous awards in fields like mathematics modeling and innovation entrepreneurship, Hu said.

Adnane Boukamel, French director of the Sino-French Engineer School of Beihang University, said China's higher education system is poised to further strengthen its ties with international counterparts, highlighting the unique role of Sino-foreign collaborations in engineering education.

As the first institution in China to receive certification for French engineering qualifications, the school has cultivated more than 1,000 professional engineers since it was established 20 years ago.

The graduates are working across various industries, including industrial manufacturing, transportation, finance, and energy, taking on management responsibilities and often advancing to CEO positions, Boukamel said.

The success of the engineer-training model, which emphasizes interdisciplinary training, practical skills and social sciences, is a potential model for future collaborations, he added.

Xu Nuo contributed to this story.