Advertisement
United States
OpinionComment
Scott Laderman
Scott Laderman

Opinion | Donald Trump’s ending of the Fulbright programme in Hong Kong and China damages US soft power

  • The programme is one of the more successful examples of US cultural diplomacy
  • While Beijing’s threat to Hong Kong is serious, the US has maintained its Fulbright programmes with other countries it sees as adversaries

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
US President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on July 14. He announced that he had signed an executive order ending the city’s preferential trade treatment. Photo: AP
Scott Laderman
Troubled by a national security legislation that curbs the exercise of civil liberties in Hong Kong, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order last week with far-reaching effects.
Advertisement

In one little noticed provision, the US president ordered that steps be taken to “terminate the Fulbright exchange programme with regard to China and Hong Kong”. It is difficult to comprehend the administration’s thinking on this move, which seems woefully misguided.

Every year, the US State Department’s Fulbright Programme sends thousands of American scholars, artists, professionals and students to over 160 countries to study, teach, lecture and conduct research while bringing thousands of foreign nationals to the US to do the same. Since 1946, more than 390,000 individuals have participated in the programme.

American colleges and universities have benefited greatly, as have many hundreds of institutions abroad. It is one of the more successful examples of US cultural diplomacy, having engendered fruitful cross-border collaborations, positive global sentiment, and friendly relationships between Americans and countless people around the world.

The number of participants in the China and Hong Kong programmes is relatively modest. In 2017, the last year for which data has been published, fewer than 70 Americans and 130 non-Americans participated. But these are crucial opportunities that further the US and global interest in scientific and intellectual advancement and in meaningful cultural exchange.

Advertisement
Professor Susan Fiksdal conducts training on collaborative learning at Baptist University in Kowloon Tong in October 2012. Professor Fiksdal was at the university under the Fulbright programme in 2011-12. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Professor Susan Fiksdal conducts training on collaborative learning at Baptist University in Kowloon Tong in October 2012. Professor Fiksdal was at the university under the Fulbright programme in 2011-12. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Advertisement