logo
Why the US opened its doors to Chinese students, and why Trump is closing them

Why the US opened its doors to Chinese students, and why Trump is closing them

Straits Times30-05-2025
President Trump's policies promise to reduce the number of students from China coming to the United States PHOTO: REUTERS
Why the US opened its doors to Chinese students, and why Trump is closing them
WASHINGTON - In 1987, when Haipei Shue arrived in the United States as a student, he recalls receiving the warmest of welcomes. He was a graduate student in sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
'People were curious about us, inviting us to their homes, wanting to be friends,' Mr Shue said on May 29, describing an openness that defined his early years in a country then seen by many in China as a beacon of opportunity.
'It was an extraordinary time,' he said.
That era of academic exchange between China and the United States, beginning in the 1970s under President Jimmy Carter as a form of soft power diplomacy, now stands in sharp contrast to the Trump administration's recent stance toward the country.
The administration announced this week that it would aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or for those studying in broadly defined 'critical fields'. The administration also plans to enhance vetting of future applicants for student visas, including looking at social media posts.
Those policies promise to reduce the number of students from China coming to the United States, who have been a fixture on American university campuses for decades. In 2024, there were roughly 277,000 students.
The Trump administration says China exploits US universities to bolster its military and technological capabilities. And Trump officials argue that some Chinese students may pose risks of espionage and technology theft.
'We are using every tool at our disposal to know who wants to enter this country and whether they should be allowed in,' Ms Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokesperson, said. 'Every visa adjudication is a national security decision.'
Mr To Shue, 64, now president of United Chinese Americans, a Washington DC-based civic group, the policy change stirs profound disappointment. His journey to the United States in the late 1980s was emblematic of a period of increasing friendliness between the two superpowers.
Mr Shue recalled the generosity of Americans. Mr David Scott, a wealthy businessperson with ties to the Reagan administration, funded his education through a foundation. That period, Mr Shue remembered, was characterised by the bipartisan embrace of Chinese students, culminating in the Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992, which granted legal residency to thousands of Chinese students in the wake of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
'It was overwhelming support and care and concern,' said Mr Shue, who helped push for the legislation and has long advocated easing China's authoritarian rule and increased freedom within the country.
Mr Shue expressed dismay at the Trump administration's actions, viewing them as a betrayal of the US's image as a 'beacon for humanity'.
The history of Chinese students in America is long and complex, dating back to the 1850s, when Yung Wing of Yale College became the first Chinese student to graduate from an American university. As Mr Robert Kapp, a retired historian of China and former president of the US-China Business Council, explained, early students sought Western knowledge to modernise China.
The normalisation of US-China relations in the 1970s under President Richard Nixon and China's premier Zhou Enlai, ushered in a new era of academic exchange. Later, China agreed to send thousands of students to the US, a number that later swelled to hundreds of thousands annually.
Mr Carter, Mr Kapp recalled, 'said, 'Why don't you send some students to the United States?''
And, he said, Mr Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese leader, responded, ''Well, how about 10,000?' – it went from there.'
For China, it was a crucial step in the country's modernisation. For the US, welcoming China's students was a form of soft power.
The 1980s and 1990s witnessed a surge of talented Chinese students, many of whom have made significant contributions to American academia, business, science and technology. And the makeup of the Chinese student population at American universities shifted as well, from primarily graduate students in the 1980s to a growing number of undergraduates today.
'Opening up education was important for establishing ties, for building bridges,' said professor David Bachman, an international relations expert at the University of Washington.
But now, he said, 'I can imagine that there'll be very few Chinese students here in 10 years,' he said.
And vice versa. As geopolitical tension between the US and China ramped up during the Covid pandemic, the number of American scholars studying in China fell to fewer than 1,000 in 2024 from about 11,000 in 2019, said Ms Rosie Levine, executive director of the US-China Education Trust.
President Donald Trump's latest move, Ms Levine said, may lead Beijing to retaliate, too, further limiting the number of American students in China – and with it, she said, the United States' overall understanding of a critical global power.
While acknowledging the need to address security threats, she said that US policies need nuance.
'These policies are so broad,' she said, 'that they don't give US officers the ability to effectively distinguish between individuals who pose security risks and those who are just genuinely seeking educational opportunities.'
Ms Levine said she believed that the administration's focus on ties to the Chinese Communist Party also raised questions about the new vetting procedures.
'There's 99 million CCP members in China,' she said. 'Working for the Communist Party or being a member of the Communist Party is a really poor determinant of someone's intentions.'
For Mr Shue, the moment is personal. After the Trump administration's announcement, he found himself unable to sleep, mulling the contrast between the United States of four decades ago and the nation he lives in today.
'It's something I can barely wrap my head around,' he continued. 'How did we deteriorate to this point where foreign students, especially those from China, are viewed as a potential liability rather than assets?' NYTIMES
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

YouTube generation propels Japan's anti-foreigner politics into the mainstream, Asia News
YouTube generation propels Japan's anti-foreigner politics into the mainstream, Asia News

AsiaOne

time23 minutes ago

  • AsiaOne

YouTube generation propels Japan's anti-foreigner politics into the mainstream, Asia News

TOKYO — Yuta Kato is increasingly annoyed by foreigners ignorant of Japan's social etiquette, whether that involves blocking the streets near his work in Tokyo's upscale Ginza district or distracting commuters by playing loud videos on their phones. The 38-year-old hairdresser is among a growing number of Japanese voters drawn to the right-wing Sanseito party, whose warnings about foreigners helped it establish a strong foothold in an upper house election on Sunday (July 20). "It is not about discrimination, it's just like, why don't they notice?" said Kato, who, like many Sanseito supporters, obtains his information from YouTube and other social media sites, a space the party has utilised to amplify its "Japanese First" message. Japan's foreign-born residents account for just three per cent of the total population, a fraction of the corresponding proportion in the United States and Europe, but record numbers of tourists in recent years have made foreigners more visible in major cities. While Sanseito largely avoids identifying specific immigrant groups, Romeo Marcantuoni, a Tokyo-based academic who has studied the party, said it taps into latent concerns ranging from badly-behaved tourists to conspiracy theories about sneaking Chinese influence. Kato said he believes the Chinese, the biggest cohort of foreign residents in Japan and among the largest visitor groups, are quietly taking over the country. Chinese are also often the focal point for anti-immigrant rhetoric propagated online. Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya and other party lawmakers and candidates have raised concerns about Chinese buying up land and resources in Japan. One of the party's policies listed on its website is to "stop the silent invasion of Japan by foreign forces". The party did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Kamiya has previously denied criticism that it is xenophobic. Sanseito is most popular among 18 to 39-year-olds, with men favouring the party more than women, according to a poll conducted by public broadcaster NHK, a trend increasingly seen among support for right-wing parties in democracies worldwide. In contrast, support for Ishiba's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which lost its majority in Sunday's election, is deepest among those aged over 70 with no clear gender divide, the NHK poll showed. Sanseito's presence online has given them visibility among younger voters that the LDP has struggled to reach, Kato said. The party's official YouTube channel has three times as many followers as the LDP's, with engagement in their content far higher than other parties, a study by Asahi newspaper found. "They are the party of YouTube," said Jeffrey Hall, a lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies who has authored a book on right-wing politics in Japan. YouTube did not respond to emails seeking comment on Sanseito's use of the platform. On its community guidelines page, YouTube says it closely monitors content and removes videos it deems to promote "harmful or dangerous behaviour". Broader appeal Birthed during the Covid-19 pandemic when they spread conspiracy theories about vaccinations, Sanseito has broadened its appeal with its tough immigration policies and pledges to help households struggling with rising prices. It also wants to scrap Japan's pacifist constitution and restore the Emperor's authority, fringe ideas promoted by other right-wing groups that regularly drive around Japan's cities in black trucks blaring imperial-era military songs. While that megaphone politics has long been largely ignored by the Japanese, Sanseito has set its sights on emulating the successes of other far-right groups in Europe, such as Germany's AfD and Britain's Reform UK. At a rally held outside Tokyo's bustling Shimbashi train station on Monday, crowds clapped and cheered some of Sanseito's newly elected lawmakers. "They're going to get things done," said Eriko Harada, 47, a housewife wearing a kimono and a headband emblazoned with the words 'Samurai Spirit', who said she voted for the first time this year. Sanseito's rise has sparked a backlash by those who fear the party is normalising xenophobia. Monday's rally attracted dozens of protesters who tried to drown out the speakers. "It is people falling for lies and displacing their frustrations — economic hardship, political alienation — onto others," said Miroko Kato, a 42-year-old haiku poet among the protestors. "We're here to say: we're watching you!" [[nid:720418]]

Debt-plagued Maldives to host Modi, continuing to rebuild ties with lender
Debt-plagued Maldives to host Modi, continuing to rebuild ties with lender

Straits Times

time23 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Debt-plagued Maldives to host Modi, continuing to rebuild ties with lender

NEW DELHI/COLOMBO - Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to enhance India's development partnership with the Maldives in a two-day visit this week to the Indian Ocean archipelago, where India competes with China for influence. Modi, who landed in Male on Friday, is the first foreign leader to visit President Mohamed Muizzu after he took office in 2023 with a pledge to end the Maldives' "India first" policy, and upgraded ties with China. Muizzu's moves briefly soured relations with New Delhi, before India helped to prevent the $7.5 billion economy from defaulting on its debt as the Maldives struggled to get tourists to its white-sand beaches and luxury resorts. He has since visited both countries, the Maldives' main bilateral lenders, to secure financial support, as well as signing trade pacts with China and Turkey and initiating talks with India on a trade agreement and an investment treaty. Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said steady diplomacy had helped to rebuild ties: "There will always be events that will impact or try to intrude on the relationship. But I think this is testimony to the kind of attention that has been paid to the relationship, and including attention at the highest levels." Former Maldives foreign minister Abdulla Shahid told Reuters that Modi's visit indicated Muizzu had "decided to step back and correct the narrative". Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Asia Live: Thailand-Cambodia border clashes continue for second day Singapore Etomidate found in blood of 2 people involved in fatal Punggol Road accident in May: HSA Singapore More students to get Smart Buddy watches; most schools to go cashless by end-2025 Singapore Vape disposal bins at 23 CCs for users to surrender e-vaporisers, without facing penalties Business Microsoft Singapore managing director Lee Hui Li dies while on sabbatical Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly India is expected to extend a line of credit worth $565 million to the Maldives, and talks on a Free Trade Agreement are expected to formally begin. Modi will also remotely inaugurate an expansion of the International Airport on the island of Hanimadhoo, which India is helping to finance, and attend Saturday's celebration of the Maldives' 60th anniversary of independence from Britain. REUTERS

European-Iran nuclear talks kick off in Istanbul
European-Iran nuclear talks kick off in Istanbul

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

European-Iran nuclear talks kick off in Istanbul

Military personnel stand guard at a nuclear facility in the Zardanjan area of Isfahan, Iran, April 19, 2024, in this screengrab taken from video. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo ISTANBUL - Delegations have arrived at Iran's Istanbul consulate on Friday morning for face-to-face talks between Iran and the so-called E3 group of France, Britain and Germany, Reuters witness said. Senior diplomats from the E3 group are set to hold talks with Iran's negotiating team for the first time since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June, aiming to gauge Tehran's appetite for a compromise to avert sanctions. Ahead of the talks, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that Tehran's position remained "firm and steadfast." "Our uranium enrichment will continue; we will not give up this right of the Iranian people," Araqchi said in a video carried by state media, adding that Friday's talks are "a continuation of previous discussions, and the world must understand that our position is clear and unchanged." REUTERS

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store