Exporting to China: The future of a genuine collaboration with the West

While Chinese producers are often regarded as mere copyists, many of the ‘copies’ are of outstanding products, and, often, the copies exceed the originals. Recently the industry slogan ‘Made in China’ has been changed to ‘Made with China’, which emphasizes the new approach to industry collaborations between China and the rest of the world. So, why has the uptake of modern test theory, in general, and Rasch measurement, in particular been so slow in the middle kingdom? Can it be just resistance to the new? Exacerbated by the dominance of traditional measurement approaches in the professoriat? This paper reviews the status quo of Rasch measurement in China, and then provides two examples of collaboration between China and the West. One is the circuitous path taken to the publication of a key Rasch measurement text for the Chinese market. The other is the successful experience of PROMS in China. Suggestions are provided for establishing genuinely collaborative research partnerships to promote the adoption of Rasch measurement in China. Copyright © 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.