Under the pressure of globalization, both China and Europe have active strategies to internationalize their Higher Education systems. This paper explores the cultural and institutional constraints of these strategies in both territories, analysing their impact on the cooperation and competition among Higher Education Institutions. The paper focuses on the historical and current practices of internationalization in Europe and China, the strategic goals underlying these practices, and the implications to the internationalization strategies in constraining the choices and actions of academic leaders in Chinese and European higher education institutions. This paper contributes to the literature on China and European HE cooperation by analysing the points of conflict and opportunities of growth. In spite of differences (e.g., centralized versus decentralized systems, top-down versus bottom-up decision-making processes, and the roles of leadership in the governance of HEI), there is a common interest in promoting economic competitiveness, developing a knowledge-based society and top research, attracting and retaining talent, and reducing regional inequalities. The paper concludes that cooperation is possible in specific areas in which neither of the blocs can succeed alone with the same impact that would be possible with cooperation.