While acknowledging that international cooperation has changed
over the years and recognising that these changes have negatively
impacted some researchers’ work, the present paper argues that international
cooperation, from the Chinese perspective at least, has
grown positively over the same period of time. The paper starts with
a brief history of the changes that have affected researchers over the
course of the reform and opening-up period, from 1978 to present. It
will discuss the programmes and reforms that have significantly affected
research cooperation. It will discuss the new challenges that
some foreign researchers have encountered in recent years, as well as
ongoing changes in Chinese academic culture. In conclusion, it will
suggest a number of possible ways that researchers might adjust to fit
new approaches for cooperation.