Page 52 - EW March 2025

International News

well as integrating academia with technological innovation
and industry. The success of DeepSeek, which became the
most downloaded app in the US shortly after its release on
January 20, suggests these policies are paying off.
“DeepSeek’s founding team and core technical members
are almost entirely products of China’s domestic higher
education system, reflecting the strength of the country’s
academic-industrial ecosystem,” says Marina Zhang, asso-
ciate professor at the University of Technology, Sydney’s
Australia-China Relations Institute. “Many DeepSeek team
members have worked on national-level AI initiatives —
such as Tsinghua’s Air Lab and Peking University’s Wang
Xuan Institute — where they combined cutting-edge aca-
demic research with practical industry experience. This
smooth transition from lab work to product development
has been central to DeepSeek’s rapid progress.” AfD supremo Alice Weidel: firing pledge
Beijing has also emphasised the importance of self-
sufficiency and embedding “Chinese characteristics” into GERMANY
the country’s education systems. In parallel, DeepSeek is AfD shadow
distinctly Chinese in nature, likely shaped by its develop-
ers’ backgrounds. FOR MANY DECADES, GERMANY HAS BEEN fa-
“Unlike teams that rely on overseas technological mous for its political stability, having had just nine
pathways, DeepSeek’s members have developed in-depth chancellors in the post-war era. But the country’s
knowledge of Chinese natural language processing and memories of its Nazi past have not rendered it immune to
multimodal understanding — capabilities that directly ad- the global rise of right-wing populism, with politicians ex-
dress AI challenges in the Chinese context,” says Zhang. ploiting economic malaise and terrorist incidents to pin the
“For instance, DeepSeek’s large language models outper- blame on immigration.
form international competitors in tasks involving Chinese And while the centre-right alliance of the Christian Dem-
semantic understanding and classical Chinese text genera- ocratic Union (CDU) and Bavaria’s Christian Social Union
tion.” (CSU) has again triumphed in the latest election, the far-
However, the government is still calling for greater in- right populist party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), has
tegration as concerns about widespread graduate unem- emerged as the second-largest party in the Bundestag, with
ployment continue across China. In a recently released 20 percent of the vote.
education strategy, the government reiterated calls to “set CDU leader and probable German Chancellor Friedrich
up urgently needed disciplines and majors” and increased Merz has repeatedly ruled out forming a governing coali-
collaboration between universities and businesses. tion with the AfD. Nevertheless, there is a widespread sense
China is also keen to tackle the outflow of young talent that its influence on German politics is growing. And many
from the country, to study and work abroad. Although the academics fear what that might mean for German higher
pandemic stemmed the flow of students to other countries, education that depends on international talent. Andreas
China remains one of the top senders of students abroad. Keller, vice president of the German Trade Union for Edu-
Geopolitical tensions, including the first Trump adminis- cation and Research (GEW), fears that the AfD’s rise poses
tration’s controversial China Initiative, have contributed to a “great danger” to German higher education and research.
the recent return of many Chinese scientists to their home “International academics are already avoiding university
country, Zhang predicts that the success of DeepSeek could locations in eastern Germany, where the AfD is particularly
inspire “more Chinese STEM graduates to pursue opportu- strong,” he says.
nities at home”. Germany welcomed record numbers of international stu-
“The growing evidence of high-impact careers and glob- dents this academic year, with the total exceeding 400,000.
ally significant achievements within China’s tech ecosys- Rising support for the AfD, however, could threaten this
tem is a powerful motivator,” she says. “A similar trend trajectory. “Political shifts influence perception,” says Car-
emerged during the first wave of internet start-ups, when olina Figueiredo, general coordinator of the international
top-performing graduates chose to join local tech ventures student association DEGIS. “If students feel uncertain
rather than seek opportunities abroad or join multination- about their rights, safety or future opportunities, they may
al firms. Today, DeepSeek’s story reinforces this pattern, start considering other destinations.”
demonstrating that China’s innovation ecosystem can rival According to her, DEGIS has heard concerns from in-
Silicon Valley in terms of ambition, resources and impact.” ternational students, “particularly those from racialised

52 EDUCATIONWORLD MARCH 2025