What is Global Competence, and What Might it Look Like in Chinese Schools?

This study reinterprets the concept of global competence through a Chinese cultural lens, examining how educators can cultivate students who understand and act ethically in an interconnected world. Drawing from a multi-year collaboration between Project Zero researchers and teachers in four Chinese cities, the authors propose a hybrid framework that integrates Eastern and Western educational traditions.

In this model, global competence is understood as a lifelong process of self-cultivation—the making of a moral person (zuo ren) through daily interactions with the world. It centers on four interwoven dispositions: dedication to understanding the world, understanding perspectives, communicating across differences, and taking ethical action to promote social harmony and sustainability.

By aligning moral and cognitive development, the framework situates global competence within Chinese educational values such as diligence, perseverance, and collective well-being while remaining relevant to contemporary global challenges. The authors argue that cultivating global competence requires nurturing both intellectual and moral virtues to prepare youth to thrive in a culturally hybrid and interdependent world.