Is the United States arrogant to say it prefers Indian STEM students to Chinese citizens?

He noted that US universities already limit Chinese students’ access to sensitive technology for security reasons.

The United States should also admit more students from China, Campbell said, but to study the humanities, not the sciences. “I would like to see more Chinese students come… to study the humanities and social sciences, not particle physics.”

According to the Open Doors report published by the State Department and the Institute of International Education, 289,500 Chinese students were enrolled in the 2022-23 academic year, up from more than 370,000 in the 2019-20 academic year.

Indian students constitute the second largest cohort, with numbers increasing 35% to 268,900 in 2022-23 compared to the previous year.

Despite the potential benefit of Washington’s preference for Chinese humanities majors, communications student Julia Zhu said she thought there was “arrogance” in Campbell’s remarks.

“His speech defined the role of other countries in the international order from a position of superiority,” said Zhu, who studies at Shanghai University of International Studies, one of China’s top foreign language schools.

“In his opinion, India is already democratic and Indians are ready to come to America and work for America. “The Chinese, on the other hand, need to be re-educated through American humanities,” she said.

Zhu was also unconvinced that Campbell’s welcome to Chinese liberal arts students was sincere. “You can’t trust words. I want to see the policy actually implemented. If he really welcomes liberal arts students, the least he can do is lower tuition.”

Mandy Wang, whose 15-year-old son is a high school student in Beijing, said she is very worried that tensions and technological rivalry between the two countries will worsen and that Chinese students planning to study in the United States will become the victims.

“My son’s dream is to study STEM in the US because it has the best universities in the world. He has a keen interest in mathematics and physics and is excited about revolutionary changes that will benefit the entire world,” she said.

“Science should have no boundaries and should not be influenced by any narrow political objective.”

Wang said she was already upset by stories from friends that Chinese STEM students were being subjected to stricter scrutiny when applying for visas or entering the U.S. “They shouldn’t be treated like that.”

Scientists in both countries have complained about interrogations and the checking of laptops and cellphones, while Washington and Beijing blame each other over intellectual property theft and espionage concerns.

Telecommunications engineering major Jack Li’s university is on Washington’s “entity list” of sanctioned organizations, so neither he nor his colleagues included the United States in their planned graduate school applications, he said.

According to an employment report released by Li University last year, fewer than 70 students chose to continue their studies abroad, with most going to the UK and Australia.

U.S. concerns about Chinese students’ motives were unnecessary, Li said. “Most of our teachers are busy making money by running their own businesses.”

He added that very few of his teachers cared about the academic performance of their students, let alone asking them to steal intellectual property from other countries.

Gary Shuai, managing director of Beijing-based Weichen Education, which helps students study abroad, said China’s strict scrutiny of foreign students could be a double-edged sword for the U.S.

Shuai warned that Campbell’s comments could herald new measures aimed at restricting Chinese citizens’ access to some academic disciplines.

“Appropriate policies or measures may be introduced to restrict Chinese students’ opportunities to study and conduct research in science and engineering fields. These may include stricter visa review and restrictions on research projects,” he said.

While some younger students may consider switching to social studies or business studies as a result of such comments from U.S. officials, others, Shuai said, may apply to universities in other countries.

“Chinese students have made enormous contributions to scientific research in the U.S. These restrictions (will affect) not only individual Chinese students but could also lead to a brain drain and a decline in innovation potential in the U.S. scientific and academic community.”