China is our principal competitor in commerce, industry, and global trade. I had an opportunity to study China up close by spending the month of October in Beijing giving a lecture series titled: “American Government, Politics and Election Campaigns.” While my fellow Americans were home being subjected to (and annoyed by) political commercials, mail and phone calls, I was in Beijing teaching Chinese college students about the benefits and advantages of the very same! The invitation came from the China Foreign Affairs University, and the Ministry of Education.

The students speak English, are well informed and ask dozens of thoughtful questions about “openness” in government, freedom of media and exposing corrupt officials. Many faculty and students gave me quiet encouragement to talk explicitly about the Chinese government, its rule by the Chinese Communist Party and comparing the strengths and weaknesses of our two systems.

The students know the weaknesses of the American system, including declining voter turnout, the Electoral College system, the enormous cost of campaigns and the excessive power of lobbyists. From their questions and conversations, it’s obvious the students are also learning lessons applicable to their own government, especially methods to expose and eliminate corrupt officials. Between my three class sections and several guest lectures at other universities, 700 Chinese students gained a better understanding about elections, openness and competition.

Focused on school

Chinese students are disciplined studiers. Most universities have classes day and evening, seven days a week. It’s an efficient way to maximize the investment in buildings and technology. The students are required to live on campus, late-night partying is not allowed, and the dorms are locked at 10 p.m. There is a little play time, but students mostly study.

The students come from all over China, but the one thing they have in common is academic achievement. In China all high school graduates take a nationwide exam that measures academic achievement. Only those who score above the 95th percentile are invited to attend CFAU.

CFAU was founded in 1956, is closely associated with the Foreign Ministry and is the training school for future diplomats. CFAU has about 1,400 students, 100 faculty and 200 support staff. Twenty foreign faculty and about 100 foreign students are also part of the program. CFAU offers degrees in diplomacy, foreign studies, foreign languages, English, international economics and international law.

The Chinese government heavily subsidizes college education. For Chinese students, tuition at CFAU costs $650 per year, room and board $150 per year and books less than $80 per year. So, a four-year degree costs less than $4,000. Such a bargain! Foreign students pay more, but the annual price tag is still only $6,000. Still a bargain. The student cafeteria offers meals for $1, while a three-course meal at the campus restaurant (with plenty of leftovers) costs $3.

The CFAU campus is quite compact comprising a dozen six- to 10-story buildings on about 10 acres, with a small, green, quarter-acre park in the middle. The buildings at CFAU are not fancy by any means, but are sturdy, simple and clean. There is no air conditioning, carpeting, wood trim or other non essentials. The students live six to eight to a room in dorms, while staff and many faculty live onsite in small apartments.

No-frills facilities

The office of the English department dean is small, shared with another teacher and has a bare concrete floor. Most light fixtures are old fluorescents without decorative covers. The floor tiles in the halls and stairs have 40 years of wear and tear. The few upgrades are well chosen: computers with overhead screens and high speed Internet in every classroom, and double-pane windows. Building utilization efficiency is very high as classes are taught seven days a week, and 16 hours per day on weekdays!

The campus and buildings are a study in maximum utilization for minimum capital investment and quite a contrast to the sprawling, manicured campuses and well-appointed buildings at Kansas University and Kansas State. I was housed in the VIP apartment in the International Center, along with the foreign faculty and foreign students. It was as good as a three-star hotel with English-speaking staff, cable television, Internet and maid service.

Investment in information

China invests in education by heavily subsidizing tuition, books, room and board for all students. They don’t spend vast sums on campuses and buildings. Students study hard, don’t party much, and have more access to global information than any generation before them. All students have access to computers and the Internet. Many have their own laptops and mobile phones. CNN, BBC, many foreign newspapers and magazines are available, and 95 percent of Internet sites are accessible and not censored.

Professors and teachers from many western countries are teaching at most Chinese universities. There is more knowledge and open discussion of western, democratic forms of government, though criticism of their own government seldom occurs in the open. The Chinese are hungry for knowledge from western countries especially in science, engineering, business management, entrepreneurship and creativity. They are very focused on building their educational capacity to generate the workforce they will need to compete with anybody in the world.