The United States Needs More Chinese Humanities Students and Indian STEM Students
The US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell stated that the United States needs more Chinese humanities students and Indian science students. Campbell, a top-ranked American diplomat, made the remarks on Monday (June 24), emphasizing that the US should welcome more students from China but encourage them to pursue studies in humanities rather than sciences. He pointed out that due to security concerns, American universities are restricting Chinese students’ access to sensitive technology majors.
According to Campbell, there are not many Americans studying Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), so the US needs to recruit more international STEM students, but from India rather than China.
For years, Chinese students have been the largest group of foreign students in the United States, with a total of nearly 290,000 Chinese students in the 2022/23 academic year.
“I hope to see more Chinese students coming to the United States to study humanities and social sciences, rather than particle physics,” Campbell said at an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in New York on Monday.
When asked about the “China Initiative” launched by the Trump administration aimed at combating Chinese espionage and intellectual property theft in the US, but halted by the Biden administration. Critics argue that the initiative fueled racial discrimination against Asian Americans.
Campbell mentioned that US universities have been “cautiously” supporting Chinese students to pursue higher education degrees and are also being cautious about “laboratory and activities of some Chinese students.”
“I do think there can be reductions and limits on engagement with certain professions, which we broadly see, particularly in technical projects across the United States,” he added.
Campbell expressed that some believe China is the sole source to make up for the shortage of science students, but he holds a different view.
“I think the biggest growth that we need to see in the future will be more Indian students coming to study a range of technologies and other fields at US universities.”
Campbell stated that China should take significant responsibility for weakening academic, commercial, or non-profit relations between the US and China.
“China has indeed made it difficult for us to continue with those activities we want to see,” Campbell said. He added that due to concerns for personal safety, foreign executives and philanthropists are cautious about staying long-term in China.
However, he also cautioned that the US must be careful not to sever connections between the US and China to maintain a delicate balance.