Chinese universities rise up rankings

Chinese universities are ranked second and third in the latest Times Higher Education Asia University rankings, which was published on Thursday.

Peking University took second for the second year running, while Tsinghua University climbed two places to third.

For the second year in a row, the National University of Singapore topped the rankings.

Two Hong Kong universities were in the top 10. The University of Hong Kong, the city's oldest university, slipped one place to fifth while Hong Kong University of Science and Technology was sixth, the same position as last year.

Chinese University of Hong Kong climbed two places to 11th, while City University edged up four places and Polytechnic University was ranked 17th, up from last year's22nd.

The Chinese mainland's Shanghai Jiao Tong University jumped from 32nd last year to 18th. Fudan University jumped from 19th to 16th, and Zhejiang University also broke into the top 20, being named in 19th place, six places higher than 2016.

Phil Baty, editor of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, said: "Conversations about Asia as the next higher education superpower have tended to focus closely on one nation above all others: China."

He said China had been transformed into an international research power and set an example for other nations to follow.

Timothy W Tong, president of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, told the Times

Higher Education section: "The complementary fundamental strengths of Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland help to power Hong Kong universities to create broader economic and social impacts through innovative research and teaching."

Tong noted that many collaborative opportunities have recently opened up for Hong Kong researchers and professors, such as the China-led Belt and Road Initiative, which offered "unprecedented possibilities to advance research and nurture students in the fields of trade, financial services, construction, engineering and hotel management".

Judges look at the universities in five areas – teaching, research, citations, international outlook, and knowledge transfer.