The Chinese Dream presented by president Xi Jinping focused on the renewal of the Chinese nation, the prosperity of the country and the well-being of its people. Incorporating the global influence ambition of China into nation-building and education, this study employed a macro policy analysis approach to synthesize the effects of the state-led ideals on nation-building and the roles to be played by higher education. A total of nine comprehensive policies, covering the period 1985 to 2017, and receptive to globalization, nation-building and higher education were selected. The findings revealed that nation-building in the post-Moa era is built upon three critical priority determinants labelled global influence, socialist market economy and talent management. These core nation-building determinants delineate specific higher education guidelines in terms of citizen education, science and technology, talent management, and innovation amidst accelerating global modernization and freedom-of-mind requirement for the establishment of a socialist consultative democracy. The findings further offer direction to higher education for the provision of a fit-for-purpose workforce capable of operating in both a modern global and local market.
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