Study On International Education Service Trade

Since mid-1980s of the last century, international trade activities have been developing rapidly, in which trade in services has become the leading industry. International education service trade has also sharply increased and has become an important part of service trade in some developed countries. China has entered the WTO for six years since 2001 and the GATS increasingly affects its education service trade. With coexisting opportunities and challenges, it is theoretically and practically significant to study legal issues in the field of education service trade of China. Such studies should be carried out within the frame of the GATS and in the perspective of the present practical situation of international education service trade.The development of international education service trade is unbalanced, with developed countries as major export countries while developing countries as import countries. The studies of legal system of education service trade in China has been started for only a few years. The researchers pay attention mainly to the explanation of GATS and exploition of whether the present theory and practice are suitable to the education service trade. A systematic and persuasive theory of China's education service trade has not been formed, and a legal frame of education service trade has neither been established.This thesis consists of four chapters. In Chapter 1, some basic theoretical issues of international education service trade are introduced from the description of GATS and the definition, category and offering way of education service trade. Meanwhile, the relationship between national competitive power and education service trade, as well as the relationship between national education right and education sovereignty is described. In Chapter 2, international eduction service trade is empirically analyzed. The present situation, existing problems and development tendency of international education service are summarized. In Chapter 3, the reform of higher education is discussed according to the tendency of international education service. Some advices are proposed for the reform of higher education of China. In Chapter 4, some measures are put forward for China to develop international education service trade. From the promise of education service when China entered the WTO, both the advantages and disadvantages of China to develop international education service trade are carefully analyzed, and some advices are accordingly proposed.