Higher education and its public nature have long been a focal point in discussion in China, which regains wider attention along with tendencies to marketization and privatization in education. This study aims to explore public good(s) in higher education as well as the state/higher education institutions relations in China. Drawing on qualitative data from 24 semi-structured interviews in universities and government departments, findings of this study show different interpretations of (global) public/common good(s) in the context of higher education in China and suggest that higher education in China may be better described in relation to common good(s) than public good(s), though the link between higher education and government is strong. As a common good, higher education in China contributes to global common good(s) in various aspects.