【By Guochezhe, Observer Net】

The ebb and flow of advanced technological strength between China and the United States, as well as politicians hastily cracking down, has even led anti-China figures to openly state that this will backfire.

"Trump's crackdown on Chinese students ignores a startling new reality," wrote The New York Times on October 19 in an opinion article, which doused cold water on the Trump administration's attempt to use international students to 'manipulate' China.

The article states that although President Trump and other Republicans have tried to restrict Chinese students from studying key technology fields in the U.S., they have ignored the fact that China has surpassed the U.S. in many science and technology research areas, and Chinese students no longer need to go to the U.S. to gain world-class research experience.

The article also warns that American universities were once symbols of global scientific research and academic freedom, but now Chinese universities are attracting more and more international scholars and students. Continuing to suppress Chinese students will not only weaken America's competitiveness, but also accelerate China's leading position in science and national power.

Notably, both authors of the article come from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), one of whom, Bethany Allen, is a notorious anti-China media figure who has long spread rumors about China in Western media.

From the full text, although she acknowledges the significant progress made by China in science and technology, it is evident that she did not write this article to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese students, but rather to maintain America's technological hegemony, to "correct" the U.S. government's anti-China policies, and to prevent China from "taking advantage" thereby threatening America's technological superiority.

This arrogance and prejudice is absurd. In fact, China has long realized that key technologies cannot be obtained by begging for help, and must rely on self-reliance and independent innovation.

The article says that the reason why U.S. politicians target Chinese students is because they are worried that the U.S. may fall behind China in the tech competition. For example, U.S. China hawk Mike Gallagher said it was "absurd" to train researchers for a country that is committed to surpassing the U.S. in emerging technologies.

However, this logic ignores a startling new reality: China has already surpassed the U.S. in science and technology research.

The authors clearly state that in those fields that will shape the future of humanity, Chinese students no longer need to go to the U.S. to gain world-class research experience. Blocking China's best talents from entering American campuses will only lead them to focus more on China's increasingly integrated research system with the defense sector, aimed at enhancing national strength.

On September 26, Shanghai hosted the 25th China International Industrial Exhibition (CIE), where Shanghai Electric showcased a controlled nuclear fusion model. IC Photo

The article cites a report by the ASPI team from August last year, which stated that in the forefront of numerous emerging technologies, American universities lag behind their Chinese counterparts.

The team analyzed millions of peer-reviewed papers in Web of Science, identified the most influential and high-impact research, and ranked global universities based on their performance in 64 key technology fields.

The results were shocking.

In these 64 fields, China ranked first in 57 fields. In most fields, Chinese universities not only took the top spot, but also occupied most of the top ten positions.

Calculated by overall research performance, Tsinghua University in Beijing is the world's top research institution, with 29 fields among the top ten globally, and ranking first in three fields: artificial intelligence algorithms and hardware accelerators, adversarial artificial intelligence, and autonomous system operations.

MIT, the best-performing university in the U.S., entered the top ten in only 10 fields, and ranked first in two of them.

Furthermore, out of the top 10 universities globally, nine are from China. If non-university institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences are included, it would become the global leader, ranking first in 28 of the 64 disciplines.

Although paper publication data alone cannot reflect the entire situation. Chinese universities still lag behind American top universities like Harvard and Yale in multidisciplinary comprehensive education, and these schools still rank high in the world rankings due to their broad liberal arts education.

However, what worries the authors is that leadership in high-tech research often predicts dominance in industry. Chinese institutions rank high in industries already dominated by China, such as drones, solar panels, and electric vehicles, and also hold advantages in rapidly catching up fields such as nuclear energy and robotics.

China is also building a national innovation system that connects academia, industry, and the military, aiming to enhance its military and technological strength.

This expanding ecosystem and the career opportunities it brings encourage more students to stay in China, quickly enter strategic industries, and keep China's best talents within the secure domestic system.

The article also mentions that China is investing heavily. In March this year alone, China announced the establishment of a $13.8 billion risk investment fund to support strategic technology startups in quantum computing, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence. In contrast, the Trump administration cut billions of dollars in research funding.

In the past, no country could compete with American top universities, which were not only centers of research but also symbols of American values and national prestige.

However, from a series of policy proposals by the Trump administration, it appears that American decision-makers have viewed access to the U.S. higher education system as a generous gift to other countries around the world.

China is challenging this notion.

Chinese universities are attracting more and more foreign scientists and students. Some are drawn by research opportunities, while others are deterred by Trump's policies and high tuition fees.

The article ends with concerns that in the near future, American universities may need to compete fiercely to attract top global academic talent. Even U.S. science and engineering students may consider Chinese universities that offer English courses and low tuition when applying for colleges.

All of this gives China the ability to take a leading role in a key area of human achievement—science. Cutting off opportunities for Chinese students to study in the U.S. will only accelerate this process, weakening America's competitiveness and national security, as it will push more top Chinese talents into the country's national strengthening projects.

Chinese students have been subjected to improper treatment in the U.S. this year, which exposes the deep-seated insecurity and helplessness of U.S. politicians.

At a regular press conference on August 22, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning stated that recently, the U.S. has frequently taken discriminatory, political, and selective law enforcement actions against Chinese students, giving them unjust treatment, putting them in "small black rooms", repeatedly and lengthily interrogating them, with some detained for over 70 hours, asking them irrelevant questions about their purpose of coming to the U.S., and even canceling visas and banning entry under the pretext of "potentially endangering national security."

Mao Ning pointed out that the above actions by the U.S. seriously infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens, seriously hinder normal personnel exchanges between the two countries, and severely damage the atmosphere of Sino-U.S. cultural exchanges. After each case occurs, the Chinese side has immediately raised serious negotiations with the U.S., expressed strong dissatisfaction, and urged the U.S. to thoroughly investigate and correct the mistakes.

"The Chinese side will continue to take effective measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens going to the U.S.," Mao Ning said.

This article is exclusive to Observer Net. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7563504118573187634/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author. Please express your attitude by clicking the 【Up/Down】 buttons below.