University partnerships have been a key dimension of higher education development. Based on documentary analysis and empirical data, this study compares two distinctive models of university partnership experienced by China, first as a "recipient" with the Soviet Union in the 1950s and later as a "provider" with African countries in the 2000s. The different modalities of China's university partnerships are analysed in the changing contexts of a shift from the political ideology of socialism to the current global context of neo-liberalism. The article looks critically at how Chinese universities have utilised their earlier experience of development under Soviet influence in their current approach to internationalisation, taking China's on-going 20 + 20 University Partnership Scheme with less developed countries in Africa since 2010 as an example. The intention of this article is to reflect deeply on the policy implications of China's experience in transforming its position from a "recipient" into a "provider" of university partnerships. Finally, the article also looks at the Confucian mission of the Chinese University 3.0 and the possibility of fostering multilateral university partnerships for international development in the context of globalisation.