Abstract
Sino-Thai collaboration in higher education has diversified in recent years, making Chinese students a pivotal group in Thailand’s international student population. This study investigates both the current state of their willingness to communicate (WTC) in Thai and how educational cooperation between the two nations shapes it. Employing a mixed-methods design, the research integrates a quantitative survey of 487 Chinese international students in Thailand with semi-structured interviews involving a purposive subsample of 13 participants. Drawing upon cross-cultural adaptation theory and the L2 Willingness to Communicate framework, the study explored the impact of contextual and personal factors on communicative behaviour. Analysis through SPSS, employing means and standard deviations, indicated that Chinese international students generally displayed moderate-to-low WTC in Thai. Additionally, coding analysis revealed that Sino-Thai educational cooperation principally influences students’ WTC through three domains: academic adaptation support, cultural participation, and career-development facilitation. Collectively, these supports alleviate pressures associated with linguistic, cultural, and environmental adjustment, while simultaneously furnishing extrinsic motivation for professional advancement, thereby modestly enhancing WTC. Nonetheless, substantive progress remains contingent upon further optimisation of immersive language milieus and the systematic design of communicative practice opportunities. The study offers empirical insights and evidence-based language policies and bilingual talent cultivation recommendations within Sino-Thai cooperation.