In a measure that harms Washington more than Beijing
US bans Chinese students from its universities over allegations of espionage
Trump has banned entry to Chinese students for allegedly spying on US soil.
From the source
US Consulate in Shanghai.
From the source
China feels that accusations of spying by students are malicious and not based on evidence.
From the source
America is no longer a suitable environment for the education of a large number of Chinese students.
From the source
picture
When the Chinese student, Dennis Hu, returned from America to China to attend his country's celebrations on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2020, he was hoping to spend a short vacation with his family, renew his residence visa in the United States, and then return to Boston to continue the fourth year of his doctoral thesis, which he is preparing in Computer Science at Northeastern University, but he's stuck there a year and a half after returning from the US, with no idea when the US will let him in.
The student (Hu) is one of more than 1,000 Chinese students who spent years in America in order to study at a university there, but their studies were halted, first on the pretext of the spread of the “Covid-19” epidemic, and then because of a mysterious ban on their entry to the country, imposed by the administration of the former president, Donald Trump, under allegations of Chinese students spying on American soil, as this ban effectively prevents graduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics from many Chinese universities, from obtaining entry visas to the United States to continue their graduate studies there, whose universities are among the largest research centers in the world.
Reasons for ban
But affected Chinese students say they are not spies at all, and some are so frustrated by the lack of clarity that they are crowdfunding a lawyer to start legal proceedings against the US government. You studied at a certain university in China, you will be targeted and branded as a spy.” He adds, “I think it is a policy of discrimination on the basis of nationality.” The combination of the ban and the epidemic, he says, has completely derailed the students’ studies from their career path.
Experts say the problem goes beyond directly affected students, warning that excluding international graduate students who contribute to STEM studies could have implications for the quality of US research, and could also affect the ability of US institutions to hire students. China, and exacerbates the already fraught relations between the two countries.
Spying allegations
For years, US intelligence warned that China was using cadet spies to steal American secrets, and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, an independent think tank, says recruiting students is part of China's military-civilian integration strategy to use civilians to enhance its military power, something that has been increasing in the US. last decade.
With more than 370,000 Chinese students in the US (nearly twice the number of any other country), US authorities face a major dilemma: how to balance protecting America's open academic environment with mitigating risks to national security.
“It is legitimate for America to worry about weaknesses within universities,” says Robert Daley, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and American Affairs, who was a US diplomat in Beijing. The Chinese for the past 40 years have come to the United States.
Beijing has called the students' spying allegations "baseless", arguing that the "unsubstantiated" accusations are a form of bigotry and discrimination that would ultimately harm US interests.
This declaration of espionage, which Beijing has described as "political persecution," assumes that China is engaged in a "large-scale and highly resourced campaign" to acquire sensitive US technologies and intellectual property, in part to advance the modernization and capability of the Chinese military.
The announcement did not specify who would be banned, but the student (he) was worried, he studied at Northwestern Polytechnic, one of seven leading universities, and its portfolio includes the defense industry in China, and with the outbreak of the virus, and its ban from entering America, (he) chose to postpone Studying for a year, he (he) was like the other students, who hoped that Trump's rival Joe Biden would be elected to rescind the ad, widely known as "PP10043."
But while the Biden administration resumed issuing student visas to Chinese citizens in May, it continued to defend the announcement.
This month, a US State Department spokesperson said the policy targets less than 2% of Chinese student applicants for a visa, which is necessary to protect the US research institution and national security interests. He is asked about his university record and then his application is rejected under Proclamation No. “PP10043”.
The story of student Keri Fang
It took Kerry Fang years of waiting before he was accepted into a doctoral program at the University of California, Davis, on a full scholarship, but his dream evaporated in just 10 minutes at the US Consulate General in Shanghai, last month, when his application was rejected.
At first, Fang tried to downplay that he had studied at a college linked to the Chinese army, because that was seven years ago, and that he had letters of support from his American university, but when the employee at the American consulate pressed him for answers, the 30-year-old admitted , that he studied at Harbin Engineering University, another leading university under the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the employee spoke with his boss, and after a few minutes he handed him a rejection form and told him, "You can't get a visa now because of the presidential ban."
“I graduated from university seven years ago, and the ban still haunts me,” says Fang. “If the US wants to target China, it should not target a specific group of people, and the authority should be given to the visa officer, so that the officer can make his own judgment, Instead of doing it this roundabout way.”
The story of the student "Wan"
Student Wan, who asked to be referred to by his last name only because of his fear of repercussions, had a similar experience when he went to apply for a visa, in May, to pursue a master's degree in electrical and computer engineering. The 24-year-old knew that Trump had signed an order regarding Chinese students the previous year, but he didn't think it would affect him. The consulate in Guangzhou asked him only two questions: What is the name of the university he attended?
And what is his specialty?
He said that as soon as the visa officer heard the name of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, another university under the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, his facial expression changed and he stopped asking questions, but continued writing, after a minute or two, he told him that his visa was rejected and handed him a paper stamped with the same code : «PP10043».
The State Department said last year that since the policy was imposed in May last year, at least 1,000 students have been banned under the ad.
The State Department did not respond to CNN's request for updated numbers on the affected students.
The US government denied some visas, canceled others and expelled them from the US, and many other Chinese students may have decided not to apply for a visa because of the ban.
China's Foreign Ministry urged the United States to withdraw visa restrictions. Last month, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian expressed "grave concern" about the rejection of some Chinese visa applications. "It is of great significance to enhancing mutual understanding between the two peoples and promoting development," Zhao said. He added that the US visa restrictions “carry a toxic legacy from the Trump administration, and contradict the principles of the United States.”
Are Chinese students really spies
In recent years, for example, the US government has charged a Chinese student, Zhaosong Zheng, with attempting to smuggle biological research into China, and a grand jury has indicted Chinese electrical engineering student Jill Chakuen for acting as an illegal agent.
According to a 2019 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report, institutions with strong military and security ties are "disproportionately involved in theft and espionage".
The US tends to overestimate the threat, says Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and America, while the US Department of Justice says it does not track data on cases by color, race or nationality.
There were also a number of failed high-profile trials of Chinese students on espionage charges last month, for example US prosecutors asked a judge to dismiss a case against a Chinese researcher, accused of concealing her ties to the Chinese military in an earlier visa application.
Eric Fish, author of "China's Millennials: The Wanted Generation", says that while the Chinese are undoubtedly spying on American soil, the current policy is arbitrary and comprehensive, and added that the targeted universities are not military per se, they are civilian universities with thousands of students, most of whom do not. They have a relationship with the army, and Fish adds: "The American authorities are using a giant sickle, when they should use a scalpel."
The cost of excluding Chinese students
Experts say Trump-era politics could affect the quality of American research, too. Although the affected students make up only a small percentage of Chinese students overall, they do some of the most important research.
It is believed that 16% of graduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the United States are Chinese citizens, and about a third of first-class AI researchers are Chinese students who obtained their undergraduate degrees in China, but more than half of them went to study, work and live in America. .
• The US government refused to grant some entry visas, while it canceled others' visas and expelled them from the United States, and many other Chinese students may have decided not to apply for a visa because of the ban.
• Beijing described the allegations of the students' spying as "baseless", arguing that the "unsubstantiated" accusations are a type of bigotry and discrimination, which would ultimately harm the interests of the United States.
• For years, US intelligence warned that China is using student spies to steal American secrets.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news