Abstract
This paper employs critical discourse analysis to investigate the construction of ‘high-level talents’ within China’s Double First-Class Project, an educational initiative implemented in 2015 to establish first-class universities and disciplines and cultivate high-level talents. The study examines the juxtaposition of human capital discourse and the political concern of ‘socialism builders and inheritors’ as articulated in key policy texts, including President Xi Jinping’s speeches and various government documents. It investigates how the global discourse of human capital has been recontextualised within Chinese higher education policy, highlighting the tensions and negotiations between economic objectives and ideological imperatives. The findings reveal a hybrid discourse—‘high-level talents with Chinese characteristics’—that reflects the Chinese Communist Party’s strategy in crafting its narrative to negotiate compliance with global policy discourses while strengthening its governing power in an increasingly globalised, economic, and individualising world. This study contributes to the understanding of how global educational ideologies are localised, offering insights into the implications for students’ educational choices and identities within the framework of China’s socio-political landscape.