【Text by Observers Network, Wang Yi】The U.S. House of Representatives' "China Issues Special Committee," which frequently stirs up and slanders China, has once again targeted Chinese students. According to reports from Associated Press and Hong Kong's South China Morning Post on July 10, the committee's chair, Republican Congressman John Moolenaar from Michigan, sent letters to seven American universities on August 8, asking them to re-examine or even terminate their cooperation with the China Scholarship Council (CSC), a state-run organization that manages overseas study programs for Chinese students.

According to the report, the "China Issues Special Committee" was established in January 2023 by the U.S. House of Representatives as a special committee targeting China. Since its establishment, it has produced many "anti-China" issues that slander China. Since taking over as the committee's chair, Moolenaar has prioritized ending cooperation between the two countries.

In his letter to seven American universities - Dartmouth College, University of Notre Dame, University of California, Davis, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Riverside, University of Tennessee, and Temple University - Moolenaar once again resorted to old tactics, falsely claiming that the CSC's program, which appears to be a scholarship for studying abroad, is actually "using American institutions" to transfer American technology, and through sending Chinese students to study in the U.S., it "supports China's military and technological development."

The letter stated that the cooperation between these universities and the CSC brings 15 graduate students annually to Dartmouth College, 60 graduate students to Temple University, and also allows Notre Dame to attract 40 graduate students. Some schools share the tuition costs with China; for example, Dartmouth College covers 50% of the tuition and provides stipends for doctoral students.

Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives' "China Issues Special Committee," Republican Congressman John Moolenaar from Michigan, South China Morning Post

Moolenaar also asked the universities to provide details of their contracts with the CSC, the sources of the funded students, their post-graduation destinations, whether they have participated in U.S. government-funded research projects, and how the university evaluates the relationship between this cooperation and U.S. national interests.

This U.S. congressman, who has long been promoting "anti-China" issues, pointed out that the scholarships awarded by the CSC require recipients to return to China and work for at least two years after graduation, and to report their progress to the Chinese government regularly during their studies, making it different from scholarships offered by other countries.

However, the South China Morning Post pointed out that many countries, including India, Malaysia, and Singapore, also have similar scholarships that require students to return home after completing their studies to serve their country and prevent talent drain.

According to data previously published by the CSC, about 10,000 Chinese students went abroad for further studies through the program in 2023, with destinations including Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan, and New Zealand, in addition to the United States. The South China Morning Post reported last year that the CSC plans to select 240 outstanding Chinese students to study for master's and doctoral degrees at the seven U.S. universities mentioned above by 2025, covering fields such as agriculture, engineering, public health, and humanities and social sciences, with some programs jointly funded by both China and the U.S.

Regarding Moolenaar's pressure, some universities chose to comply. Dartmouth College responded to the Associated Press on September 9, stating that the number of students participating in the program over the past decade was less than 10, and the university has decided to withdraw. Notre Dame said that it had begun terminating the cooperation earlier this year. The University of Tennessee also replied that they had indeed received the letter and were reviewing the committee's requests.

The office of Michael Drake, the chancellor of the University of California system, expressed dissatisfaction in a statement, saying that they comply with all federal laws and cooperate with the government to protect sensitive research, but "at the same time, we believe international students and global academic collaboration are crucial for scientific advancement, economic growth, and our educational mission."

Over the past few months, cooperation between the U.S. and China in education and research has been increasingly questioned. In May this year, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio claimed that the U.S. will "actively" revoke visas for Chinese students, including those "linked to the Chinese government or studying in key areas."

According to the latest data from the Institute of International Education (IIE), there were approximately 277,000 Chinese students in the U.S. for the 2023-24 academic year, down from a peak of 372,000 a few years ago. Although China remains the second-largest source of international students in the U.S. (after India), most Chinese students pay their tuition fees themselves, not through government funding.

Chart showing the trend of Chinese students going to the U.S. from mainland China, Associated Press

However, in the past year, under the pressure of the "China Issues Special Committee," many universities across the U.S. have gradually terminated their cooperation with Chinese institutions, including the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Michigan, Georgia Institute of Technology, Oakland University, and Eastern Michigan University.

Regarding the U.S. government's efforts to exclude Chinese students and scholars in the academic field, the U.S. academic community generally believes that while emphasizing research security is important, it is not appropriate to suspect and oppose Chinese citizens in a blanket manner, as this would only harm U.S. academic freedom and research development.

John Aubrey Douglas, a senior researcher at the University of California, Berkeley's Center for Education Policy, criticized the U.S. major research universities for collaborating with federal officials to review Chinese students and limit their participation in critical research areas, calling this "new nationalism evolving into a new academic cold war," "unnecessary attacks and restrictions on international students and teachers."

Political scientist David Lampton from Johns Hopkins University worries that the U.S. might lose talent because of this. He pointed out, "For a long time, the U.S. universities and society have successfully relied on the world's best talents."

Rafael Reif, former president of MIT, also pointed out that any move that prevents the U.S. from welcoming the world's smartest talents is an "extremely bad idea." Reif stated in a statement: "This administration completely fails to understand the importance of science and technology and the importance of gathering the world's best talents to work together for the prosperity of the U.S. This will lead to the decline of the U.S. and be remembered for generations."

This article is an exclusive piece by Observers Network, and it cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7525329773778780706/

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