JD.com chief’s PhD study follows a long line of Chinese executives seeking academic credentials to gilt their resumes

With a US$7.3 billion fortune and business operations spanning the globe, Richard Liu Qiangdong could have spent the last days of August anywhere in the world. The JD.com founder chose to spend his time taking classes in Minneapolis as a student at the University of Minnesota.

Why was one of China’s most successful and recognisable business figures hitting the books at all, much less so far from home in the Gopher State?

That is part of the mystery surrounding Liu’s days in Minnesota, where he was arrested for alleged rape as the long Labor Day weekend got underway.

Liu, 45, is a student in the university’s Carlson School of Management and was in Minneapolis to complete the American residency of a US-China business administration doctorate programme. Co-led by Tsinghua University - the alma mater of Chinese leaders including Xi Jinping - the course takes place mainly in Beijing with a singular cohort of students: the average age is 50, and many are captains of industry. The American university’s graduates include the executive manager of storied spirits-maker Kweichow Moutai and the head of fintech titan Ant Financial.

The Twin Cities programme is one of scores that cater to a fast-rising Chinese demographic: senior executives. Unlike in the US, where luminaries such as Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates wear their college-dropout badges with pride, Chinese executives seek academic plaudits long after they cease to matter for their careers.

“If you have a better degree and better education you get more recognition,” said Wang Huiyao, founder of the Centre for China and Globalisation, a think tank that advises the government. “China pays more attention to education.”