Paper Title
THROUGH TUNISIAN STUDENTS’ EYES: UNDERSTANDING CHINA’S SOFT POWER IN INTERNATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract
China’s Soft Power has been under the microscopefor a few years, pushing researchers from different backgrounds to investigate and question its effectiveness. In addition, China’s international higher education has also been a focus of many scholars, which encouraged the Chinese government to diversify its educational initiatives to build mutual understanding and friendships. By establishing the Confucius Institute across the globe and attracting international students to Chinese universities, China started gaining more attention from other educational leaders dominating different parts of the world, like the Middle East and North Africa. Yet, China is breaking through and starting to show its presence in the MENA region through trade and investment strategies and educational strategies. With this idea in mind, the research uses Tunisian students as a case study to investigate their experiences, attitudes, and reflections on China’s international higher education and to understand the effectiveness of China’s Soft Power. The research focuses on Tunisia as a case study to investigate the academic, social, cultural, and political experiences of Tunisian students in Chinese universities and the Confucius Institute of the University of Carthage, based in the Higher Institute of Languages of Tunis (ISLT), in correlation with China’s internationalization of higher education strategies. The theories used in this research are the Educational Soft Power theory and the Internationalization of Higher Education theory combined. The data includes 28 Tunisian students, with the help of news articles, government documents, official reports, and social media tools. The findings focus on whether China’s Soft Power and its internationalization of higher education are related and if they are effective or not, resulting in finding successes and challenges of China’s international higher education, therefore concluding that China’s Soft Power is partially achieved through the internationalization of higher education that does meet world-class standards. This research fills a gap in international relations, educational diplomacy, and Soft Power studies. China’s presence in the MENA region and diplomacy with Tunisia make the research useful for policymakers and educational institutions in both China and Tunisia. By understanding the effectiveness of China’s Soft Power through the internationalization of higher education, a new world shall open up for Tunisia. Keywords - Soft Power; Internationalization of Higher Education; Sino-Tunisian Relations; Educational Diplomacy; Tunisian Students;