[RIHE Open Seminar] “Shifting Geopolitics and the Internationalization of Higher Education in Asia: Comparative Perspectives”, 9 March 2026

★Registration has been closed.

We are pleased to announce that an open seminar will be held as follows:

■Date
14:30–17:00 Monday, 9 March 2026 (JST)

■Theme
Shifting Geopolitics and the Internationalization of Higher Education in Asia: Comparative Perspectives

■Venue
Hybrid (In-Person & Online)
In-Person: Room 112, Research Institute for Higher Education (RIHE), Hiroshima University
Online: Zoom

■Language
English

■Lecturer
Dr. Ayu Rachman (Universitas Bina Mandiri Gorontalo, Indonesia)
Dr. Xin Li(Hiroshima University)
Prof. Futao Huang(Hiroshima University)

■Moderator
Dr. Lilan Chen(The University of Osaka)

■Abstract
This open seminar examines how shifting geopolitical dynamics are reshaping the internationalization of higher education in Asia, with a particular focus on Indonesia in comparative perspective with China and South Korea. Moving beyond conventional views of internationalization as a largely technical or managerial process, the seminar argues that international academic cooperation is increasingly structured by geopolitical interests, power asymmetries, and competing knowledge regimes. Drawing on policy analysis, collaboration patterns, and selected empirical cases, the presentation explores how external partners—including Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Middle Eastern institutions—engage Asian universities in differentiated ways that reflect broader strategic, economic, and normative agendas. The Indonesian case highlights persistent inequalities in agenda-setting, authorship, and epistemic authority, even where local institutions demonstrate strong research leadership. By situating national experiences within a multipolar regional context, and by comparing Indonesia with China’s state-centered internationalization and South Korea’s performance-driven global engagement, the seminar contributes to broader debates on global knowledge production, North–South academic relations, and the future of more equitable and sustainable models of higher education internationalization in Asia.

■Program
14:30–14:40:Opening Remarks
 Prof. Futao Huang(RIHE, Hiroshima University)

14:40–15:00:Presentation 1

Shifting Geopolitics and the Internationalization of Higher Education in Indonesia
 Dr. Ayu Rachman(Assistant Professor of International Relations Universitas Bina Mandiri Gorontalo, Indonesia)

15:00–15:20:Presentation 2

Geopolitics and the Internationalization of Higher Education in Korea
 Dr. Xin Li(Project Associate Professor, International Development and Cooperation (IDEC), Hiroshima University)
 Dr. Yangson Kim(Associate Professor, RIHE, Hiroshima University)

15:20–15:35:Tea Break


15:35–15:55:Presentation 3

Internationalization of Chinese Higher Education in an Era of Geopolitical Uncertainty
 Prof. Futao Huang(RIHE, Hiroshima University)

15:55–16:10:Summary / Discussant

 Dr. Yangson Kim(Associate Professor, RIHE, Hiroshima University)

16:10–16:50:General Discussion & Q&A

16:50-17:00:Concluding Remarks

 Prof. Futao Huang(RIHE, Hiroshima University)

■Note
・Participation fee is free.
・Registration is open noon on Friday, 6 March 2026 (JST).
・Internet access and a camera/microphone device required to participate online.
・Use your full name as your personal meeting ID when you enter the meeting room. If you do not, you may not be allowed to enter the meeting room.
・Recording/screenshots not allowed.
・The meeting URL will be emailed to you separately by the day before the meeting. If you do not receive the e-mail, please contact us at k-kokyo(at)office.hiroshima-u.ac.jp
*Replace (at) with @