How are the students studying in the US? What should I do? Ambassador Cui Tiankai gives advice
On July 21st, Bai Yansong video linked Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai in CCTV's "News 1+1" column to talk about the situation of students studying in the United States.
Bai Yansong: There are still a large percentage of Chinese students studying in the United States who are actually still in the United States. They may not be able to return. Under the situation that the epidemic continues to be serious, what kind of care are they receiving from the embassy and what is their condition?
Cui Tiankai: There are a few figures. First of all, the total number of Chinese students studying in the United States exceeds 400,000, but up to now, they have finished their studies and even their visas have expired. There are tens of thousands of people who urgently need to return to China.
In the previous period, the Ministry of Education, Civil Aviation Administration, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs have also made a lot of efforts and arranged more than 30 temporary flights, mainly to pick up these international students. About 7,000 people have been picked up, but the number of people who have returned is still in demand. There is still a big gap in the number of people.
Our embassy and various consulates have been in close contact with international students since the beginning of the epidemic, because we have to care about their health, their safety, and their practical difficulties. For example, in the previous paragraph, we gave them a lot of health kits to help them prevent the epidemic, and then we also made a lot of video connections with them, answered their calls, and reflected many of their needs in China.
Since the American school entered the summer vacation, in response to the needs of international students, the embassies and consulates, the Ministry of Education, and Fudan University have also organized a series of online lectures for international students, including some of their academic conditions, including epidemic prevention and control, mental health, and even It also included a series of lectures on the future employment situation in China, which was also very helpful to them and was welcomed by them.
We will continue to do these things. Especially for a period of time, the safety of our international students here has also been threatened. Some departments in the United States treat them very rudely. We must ensure their safety. This is also our important job. For the temporary flights that arrive, we can continue to strive for the next step. Try our best to be able to pick up overseas students who have completed their studies and are in relatively difficult circumstances.
Bai Yansong: Although there are still many international students who have returned to China, they are worried that they will not be able to go to the United States when the school starts. There have been a lot of such news a while ago. Now it is full of uncertainty. You may want to return to the United States after school starts. Of these students, what are the reminders or tips for them?
Cui Tiankai: Actually, because the summer vacation in American schools has passed halfway, including some foreign students who have not left, there are some reconsiderations now. I will try my best to go back now. There is not much time left. Can I come back in the future? The students who have gone back do have the problems you just mentioned, visa problems, air tickets, and they are also worried about whether some policies in the United States will change again. We have been following this closely.
It should be said that these universities in the United States still attach great importance to the needs of international students. They are also studying after the fall semester, for example, whether the method of class is completely online, or a combination of online and classroom, or what, they are also thinking Method. Therefore, I suggest that international students who have returned to keep in close contact with your original school, especially their International Student Office, and pay attention to any adjustments in the policies of a US government, and what measures are introduced by the US schools and how they plan to arrange them. What will happen to the courses in the fall semester, keep abreast of these trends, and then decide what to do next.