Guangdong University of Foreign Studies has become China's first higher education institution to offer academic titles to its foreign faculty in its "go international" efforts.

The university administration awarded one professor, five associate professors, eight assistant professors and 27 lecturers earlier this month, among its 98 overseas teachers, said President Zhong Weihe.

Foreign and Chinese faculty members in Chinese universities were previously managed differently. While the Chinese had academic titles, the foreigners did not.