I did ab initio training alongside Chinese Airline sponsored cadets.
I can tell you they aren't the brightest and the best. Airline pilot isn't a prestigious job in China. All of the cadets told me that in the last year of their engineering degrees (all studying in China) they sit aptitude tests and pretty much get told what jobs they are going to be placed in. None of them wanted to be pilots.
I can also tell you now they weren't held to the same standards as local students. Not even close. If they were they would all fail.
If we are too tough on them they find a place that will pass them.
Universities are they same. The Chinese students pay big fees so they always pass. Just because you study in a Western country doesn't mean you are at the same standard as local students in that country.
Let's not kid ourselves.