Policy innovation and future imaginaries of higher education internationalisation: New ideas for the grand strategy of China’s Greater Bay Area

Future imaginaries shape the policy innovations that guide universities in their approaches to internationalisation. China’s Greater Bay Area (GBA) represents a transformative grand strategy aimed at fostering a regional innovation system through knowledge creation, cross-boundary collaboration, and the cultivation of high-quality talent via inward-oriented higher education (HE) internationalisation. This paper examines how innovative universities in the GBA construct future imaginaries of internationalisation and communicate these images, as well as the ways in which they translate these imaginaries into practice by managing the student affairs and campus experiences of international students. Employing a multiple case study approach, the study focuses on two innovative GBA universities, utilising discourse analysis of institutional policies and social media, complemented by semi-structured interviews with stakeholders. Findings reveal that these universities align their internationalisation imaginaries with a state-directed vision that emphasises political, diplomatic, and cultural partnerships over entrepreneurial motives. Unlike Anglo-Saxon models influenced by neoliberalism and academic entrepreneurialism, China’s approach leverages HE as a tool for cultural diplomacy and soft power, promoting Chinese characteristics in a multipolar, multicultural world. This research contributes to reimagining indigenous HE internationalisation, offering insights into how future imaginaries guide policy innovation and approaches to HE internationalisation. By situating university practices within national frameworks, the study underscores the interplay between state-led visions and institutional agency in advancing the regional innovation ecosystem. Copyright © 2025 Educational Review.