Due to the escalating tensions in US-China relations, coupled with the Chinese Communist Party’s nationwide anti-spy campaign and tightening control over society, the number of American students studying in China has been decreasing. Especially in recent years, the number of American students has plummeted by 90%, making it increasingly rare to see American students on Chinese university campuses.
Although there is no official statistical data on the current number of American students studying in China, US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns stated in a speech last month that the number is approximately 800. A spokesperson for the US State Department clarified that this number only represents students enrolled in university credit courses.
In the meantime, according to the latest data from the Institute of International Education (IIE), approximately 290,000 Chinese students were studying in the United States during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the last complete academic year saw over 11,000 Americans studying in China, making China the preferred non-European destination for American students studying abroad and ranking as the 7th most popular destination.
However, with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and China’s subsequent strict border closures, most foreigners were shut out. As of June 2023, according to The Wall Street Journal, China has fallen out of favor for American students studying abroad, not even ranking among the top 20 destinations.
Since Beijing lifted strict pandemic restrictions at the end of 2022, the return rate of American students to campuses across China has been slow. Despite promises from both Beijing and Washington to rebuild people-to-people exchanges between the US and China, including commitments made by Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Biden at their summit in November last year to attract 50,000 American students to China over the next five years.
Reported by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, for over a decade, Professor Wu Xinbo of Fudan University in Shanghai, who teaches courses on Chinese foreign policy, stated that his classes used to consist of about a third American students. However, after the resumption of regular university courses last year, there were no Americans among the over 30 students in his class.
Since the Chinese authorities enacted the Anti-Spy Law targeting foreigners in July last year, the US State Department has consistently placed China on the “Reconsider travel” list, citing risks of arbitrary detention and enforcement of local laws.
A spokesperson for the US State Department emphasized the focus on expanding people-to-people exchanges while acknowledging that the Chinese authorities have not consistently cooperated in bridging connections between the two nations.
The spokesperson noted that since the summit in November last year, several groups of young Americans have participated in short-term China visits funded by Beijing.
“We need more American students to study Mandarin, explore Chinese culture, and become the next generation of China experts,” the spokesperson added.
However, due to the downturn in the Chinese economy leading to fewer opportunities and strained US-China relations, many students interested in Chinese studies or the Chinese language have opted to go to Taiwan instead.
In February this year, the Chinese authorities revised the National Intelligence Law, which came into effect on May 1st, expanding the scope of control to include work secrets and restricting travel or employment for personnel involved in sensitive information.
On April 12th, the US State Department updated its travel warnings for mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, maintaining a Level 3 travel advisory for China and Macau. This was primarily due to the strengthened use of exit bans targeting bankers and executives by the Chinese authorities.
Last month, four American teachers from Cornell College in Iowa were attacked with a knife while visiting a park in Jilin, China. This incident received widespread coverage in the American media. Some netizens believe that the continuous incitement of anti-foreign and anti-American sentiment by Chinese official media may have been a contributing factor to the tragedy.
Similarly, last month, a Japanese mother and son were stabbed by a Chinese man at a school bus station in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, with a Chinese staff member succumbing to fatal injuries while trying to intervene.
A recent report from the Institute of International Education (IIE) revealed that less than 30% of American universities surveyed last year planned to send students to China for study abroad programs.