[Source/Observer Network, Liu Chenghui] The US government has tightened student visas under the pretext of national security, which has aroused growing dissatisfaction. Some US media are worried that this will help China attract more talents and gain an academic and scientific research advantage.
"Trump's crackdown on foreign students gives China a big gift." On April 21, The Washington Post published an article with this title, stating that foreign talents are crucial to the progress of American science and technology. International students account for a high proportion of doctoral graduates in science and engineering in the United States, bringing many benefits to America's technological competition. However, the chaotic policies of the Trump administration may cause the United States to lose top global talents and unintentionally provide assistance to China's talent strategy.
On the day of his inauguration, January 20, Trump signed an executive order requiring the US Department of State to list "countries with insufficient review and screening information, partially or fully suspending the entry of citizens from these countries."
According to statistics from CNN and AP, in the past month, approximately 1,400 international students and recent graduates had their visas or statuses revoked in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. Affected students come from Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, involving private schools like Harvard and Stanford as well as public universities.
These students were often expelled due to minor violations (such as revoked parking tickets), unrelated to anti-Semitism, protests, criminal charges, or any security threats defined by the White House. Due to the lack of clear logic or public explanation, this move created confusion and fear.
On April 4, students protesting at the US Department of Education participated in a "Boycott School Cuts" rally in Washington DC, protesting against Trump's cuts to the education budget. Visual China.
Moreover, the Trump administration even targeted school admissions. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem warned that she might completely block Harvard University from admitting international students. Current students also face additional turmoil from sudden freezes and cancellations of research funding in the higher education system.
The report argues that this new chaotic environment endangers important talent channels supporting America's technological advantage - if not repaired, it will have far-reaching impacts on Sino-American competition in the coming decades.
The Washington Post mentioned that foreign talents are the cornerstone of scientific discoveries and technological advancements supporting US leadership over the past century. International students account for 42% of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) doctoral graduates in the United States. They not only did not "take away spots," but also subsidized the education of local students through full tuition payments. Their presence generated revenue to maintain academic programs, reduced trade deficits, and provided funds for increased financial aid to support domestic enrollment.
In recent years, about 75% of STEM international graduates chose to develop in the US. They indeed brought fruitful results: a National Bureau of Economic Research report showed that nearly 36% of America's technological innovations in the past few decades (involving patent quantity, quality, value, and spillover effects) were attributed to immigrants. Half of the top STEM talents in the defense industry were born abroad, and 60% of leading AI companies in the US were co-founded by immigrants - most of whom came to the US on student visas. STEM background immigrants not only did not take jobs away from Americans, but also filled technical gaps in key areas such as healthcare and technology, complementing domestic talent in the labor market.
However, America's efforts to build future technological advantages in artificial intelligence, robotics, quantum computing, advanced batteries, etc., are facing threats from Trump's arbitrary crackdown on students.
Facing uncertainties in visas and funding, international STEM students are increasingly inclined to choose other countries that are seizing opportunities to attract talent. If visa revocations continue, the US may lose the world's best talents, which will systematically impact America's future innovation prospects when Chinese native engineers have already surpassed American competitors in key technologies.
The report noted that many Chinese students who previously earned STEM doctorates in US institutions chose to stay in the US, and China has been working hard to reverse this trend. "America's self-destructive decision will definitely make China happy."
US media noticed that China has launched dozens of initiatives to attract talent, including attracting Chinese talent working overseas in schools and companies. These talent programs provide funding, family support, and research resources, aiming to make it easy for Chinese and foreign scientists working overseas to relocate to China.
In the US, some Republican lawmakers recently proposed a bill attempting to ban all Chinese students from entering American schools. The report pointed out that this is actually helping China. Although the bill has little chance of passing, it reinforces a signal: China's best talent should go elsewhere.
The article wrote that families considering studying in the US now have to face not only high tuition fees but also the possibility that students might be forced to leave before completing their degrees. Under the uncertainty of visas and research funding, when the world's top talent no longer considers the US as a stable long-term choice, many will vote with their feet.
At a seminar in February, Dr. Amy Zegart, a senior researcher at the Hoover Institution, used DeepSeek as an example to point out that the claim that China's top talents come from the US is incorrect; Chinese talent is becoming localized.
Zegart said there is a common misunderstanding that foreign talents come to the US for education, and upon success, they will leave. However, China has developed its own talent, and Chinese students do not need to study in the US. China already has top universities and理工schools that can cultivate talent.
She said, "We should not take it for granted that the US will always occupy the global talent high ground."
On April 18, over 100 affected international students jointly filed a lawsuit with the US Federal Court, demanding the restoration of their legal status and to stop the government from continuing this policy.
The American Civil Liberties Union branch represented these students in a lawsuit at the federal court in New Hampshire. Gilles Bissonnette, legal director of the ACLU New Hampshire branch, said, "International students are an important group in our state's universities. No government has the right to circumvent the law, unilaterally deprive students of their status, disrupt their studies, and put them at risk of deportation."
Chairman of the House "China Task Force" Mo Lenna sent a letter last month to six US university presidents, requesting detailed information about the Chinese students at their schools and claiming that China has placed researchers in top US institutions, allowing direct access to two-way sensitive technologies.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning responded to this by emphasizing that Chinese students account for about one-quarter of all students in the US. Educational cooperation not only expands exchanges between students from both countries but also enhances mutual understanding between the two peoples, contributing to the prosperity of the US economy and technological development, which serves the interests of both sides.
Mao Ning said, "We urge the US side to stop generalizing national security concerns and effectively safeguard the legitimate rights of Chinese students. Discriminatory and restrictive measures against Chinese students must not be taken."
This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7495978107645329929/
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