Trump signs the announcement
Recently, despite multiple劝阻s, Trump insisted on signing the announcement, officially declaring a suspension of Harvard's qualification to receive international students. This means that students currently applying to study at Harvard will not even be able to enter the United States. During this period, Harvard must provide a list of international students to the government, or the ban will continue. According to Trump's statement, not all international students will be expelled, but each case will need to be reviewed by the government. However, Chinese international students have become the main target of reviews, especially those studying high-tech disciplines. Although Trump claims it is indiscriminate, his actions are clearly aimed at China.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova
At this critical moment, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova stated that Russia is willing to open its doors to Chinese students. If Chinese students encounter "discrimination" in the U.S., they are encouraged to consider studying in Russia. The quality of education in Russia is also globally recognized. This political clearance carried out under the guise of "fighting anti-Semitism" is essentially the ultimate weapon of the Trump administration in its ideological contest with elite universities. In this storm, Chinese international students, who make up the largest proportion, have become the biggest victims. Russia's stance has also pushed this event into a new battlefield of great power educational competition.
Chinese students studying in Russia
If Trump's move is indeed for ulterior motives, then Russia's statement is also far from simple. Currently, there are more than 5,000 Chinese students studying in Russian normal universities, but they mainly concentrate in language and cultural fields. Russia is targeting the high-end technical talents lost by Harvard to achieve talent supplementation. Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Education has included Chinese in the "key foreign languages" list. By 2025, 37 Sino-Russian bilingual degree programs will be added in Russian universities, covering sensitive fields such as aerospace materials and permafrost engineering. More profoundly, the intention is to cultivate pro-Russian and knowledgeable elites about China. According to Russian data, the proportion of Chinese students returning from Russia entering China-Russia cooperation projects is much higher than that of ordinary students. However, despite Russia's goodwill, its education system has hard limitations. Only one Russian university is listed among the top 100 in the QS rankings, and its education and research funding is less than one-fifth of that of the top universities in the U.S. Moreover, after the Ukraine conflict, Western sanctions have restricted the import of scientific research equipment such as semiconductors and biological reagents, making it difficult to meet the needs of advanced research.
Chinese student giving a speech at Harvard graduation ceremony
However, Russia's move also sends a clear signal to Trump: talents rejected by the U.S. are being sought after worldwide. Many countries such as China, Germany, France, Japan, and Singapore have already opened emergency channels to fully accept Harvard transfer students and provide academic certification. Chinese students need not worry. The Ministry of Education has launched the "Return Home Across the Ocean" plan, recognizing the credits earned at Harvard and providing衔接courses for transferring to top domestic universities. Financial assistance for returning students is also arranged. Since the U.S. has treated students as tools for "political attacks," there is nothing left to linger over in America. Russia's proactive stance can be seen less as charity and more as collective resistance against unilateral hegemony in a multipolar world. The flame of education never goes out because humanity's pursuit of truth always transcends political barriers. Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7512359990011642407/ Disclaimer: This article represents the author's personal views. Please express your opinions using the "like/dislike" buttons below.