摘要：Graduate students from China pose for photos on campus after the Columbia University Commencement ceremony in New York, the United

ByXin Ping

Graduate students from China pose for photos on campus after the Columbia University Commencement ceremony in New York, the United States, May 22, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]

A video showing the detention of a pro-Palestine student in the U.S. after her visa was revoked sparked protests online. Her arrest and the U.S. State Department's revocation of visas for 300 students was just the latest in a series of America's recent actions against international students. However, America's arbitrary measures targeting foreign students go beyond this.

Citing national security concerns, some House Republicans put forward legislation in mid-March to prevent Chinese nationals from receiving visas that allow them to study or participate in exchange programs in the U.S. The chair of a U.S. House committee even asked six American universities to hand over information on their Chinese students.

This measure will only backfire.

A pyrrhic "lose-lose" behavior

The tech industry will be the first to feel the impact as Chinese academics' contributions to America's thriving artificial intelligence (AI) industry cannot be underestimated. According to a study by the Paulson Institute's think tank MacroPolo, the ratio of top-tier AI researchers working in U.S. institutions with Chinese undergraduate degrees crept up from 27 percent in 2019 to 38 percent in 2022, even higher than the 37 percent who graduated from U.S. universities.

"The data shows just how critical Chinese-born researchers are to the United States for AI competitiveness," admitted Matt Sheehan, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

More striking still, the semiconductor industry, which benefits from AI's meteoric rise, is also propelled by top Chinese minds. Zhou Wenjun who developed programmable read-only memory, Hu Zhengming known as the "father of the 3D transistor" and Fei-Fei Li who is the co-director of Stanford's Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence Institute among others are all Chinese-born academics standing behind America's chipmaking boom. Even many senior executives of the four U.S. semiconductor incumbents, namely NVIDIA, AMD, Broadcom and Intel, are of Chinese descent.

In addition to the far-reaching repercussions on the tech industry, the economy will also take a hit. Restrictions on Chinese students' access to U.S. higher education institutions will lead to troubled balance sheets of universities.

NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education reports that in 2024, international students who pursued higher degrees in the U.S. contributed $43.8 billion to the country. For every three international students, one U.S. job is created.

Meanwhile, many U.S. higher education programs are mainly bankrolled by Chinese students as they, accounting for nearly one quarter of international students, contributed a whopping $14.3 billion in economic value in 2023. A ban on Chinese students will certainly close the money spigot of many U.S. academic programs.

Chinese students pose for a graduation photo in Columbia University, the U.S., May 21, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

The repercussions of the visa ban will culminate in worsening mutual perception of the two countries. Despite the popularity of TikTok and Xiaohongshu, a lifestyle-sharing app that recently surged to the top of the app download charts, face-to-face communication and weeks-long stays will surely beat online videos and small chats, when it comes to diving into another culture.

Sufficient people-to-people exchanges break barriers, build friendships and clear up the misunderstandings whereas a stranglehold on students' visa application and exchange programs will do nothing but create echo chambers and information cocoons for prejudices, which will easily turn stereotypes of certain races into hatred.

Voices of reason

Despite the clamor from Capitol Hill for a visa ban, voices of reason are growing loud and clear within the U.S. "Unilaterally cutting off pathways of study for Chinese students … will make our country less innovative and the world less safe," said Representative Judy Chu. "Shutting the door on Chinese students doesn't just betray our values – it weakens our leadership in science, technology and innovation," explained Gary Locke who served as the 10th U.S. ambassador to China from 2011 to 2014 in a statement to condemn the proposed bill. Other organizations also raised a hue and cry against the legislation.

There is now a split-screen view. Unsettling risks of visa cancellation hang over international students in America, which may cut back the influx of foreign students into the country. On the other half of the screen, a U.S. YouTube celebrity iShowSpeed's livestreaming videos about his Chinese tour took the internet by storm with over 10 million views and thumbs-ups, attracting more foreign friends to this vast country.

A century ago, the U.S., an academic beacon, opened its arms to Albert Einstein, Edward Teller, Qian Xuesen and other scientists who contributed to its victory against Japan and thriving nuclear industry.

Openness and exchanges once helped a confident U.S. prosper. Self-isolation and antagonism toward China now risk leaving both sides wounded.

The author isa commentator on international affairs, writing regularly for Xinhua News Agency, CGTN, Global Times, China Daily, etc.

来源：中国网一点号