In recent years, the once popular trend of Chinese students studying in the United States has faced pressure amidst the tense geopolitical situation between China and the US. Chinese students in the US are subject to increased scrutiny upon entry or for security reasons, while upon returning to China, they are suspected of disloyalty. Studying in the US used to be seen as an honor, but now it seems to present a dilemma akin to being a “sandwich cookie” for Chinese students.
10 years ago, Xie Nan came to the US to pursue studies in business in a major city on the East Coast. Xie Nan remembers that less than a decade ago, China was just a normal topic on American university campuses, “devoid of any political sensitivity.” However, now, discussing China (the CCP) voluntarily makes people think that you must have something to express.
While completing his master’s degree at Harvard University, Xie Nan proactively requested the school’s support to organize a trip to China with classmates. Initially, many classmates signed up enthusiastically, but over ten classmates decided to withdraw at the last minute—international students were worried about encountering problems at customs and being unable to re-enter the US, while American students were concerned about potential negative repercussions in the future, especially those planning for a career in politics not wanting to leave any records associated with China.
This even affects the choice of locations for academic conferences. High-profile academic conferences held in the US raise concerns for mainland Chinese doctoral students not being able to obtain visas. If held outside the US, Chinese students studying abroad worry about having their visas canceled at US customs upon return.
The number of Chinese students studying in the US has rapidly decreased. After reaching a peak of 373,000 students in the 2019-2020 academic year, it plummeted to 277,000 students in the 2023-2024 academic year, with many Chinese students opting for alternative options in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Europe.
“I can feel that the tension in US-China relations has indeed affected the campus atmosphere,” said Geng Lutao, a student at a community college in the US, to Epoch Times. People are more cautious when discussing China, especially in classes involving politics and international relations, with most Americans here not liking the Communist Party.
“The CCP wants to compete for dominance with the US, leading to the deteriorating relations between China and the US, forcing ordinary students to be caught up in this confrontation,” he said.
Alex Wu, currently studying at a university in California in the US, expressed concerns for Chinese students due to some policies of the Trump administration. Worries include whether they can finish their studies and if they can stay in the US legally after graduation.
Alex Wu stated that Chinese or students from other sensitive countries are called in for scrutiny by US customs, especially those studying in AI. “I have a friend who was held in a small dark room when re-entering the US through customs, and almost all of those inside were Chinese students,” he said.
대半小時，然後就放出來。他補充說，手機會被收過去，但有沒有審查不知道， 真的被查出了什麼遣返的其實也不多。「我認識的沒有聽說過。可能學敏感專業的確實會被審查一下，挺麻煩的。」
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