Wang Huiyao

Opinion | 5 ways China can attract US students back to its universities again

From the easing of visas to a more international curriculum, China’s universities and wider society can do more to make US students feel at home

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Wang Huiyao

Published: 5:30am, 20 Jun 2024

Amid the turbulence of China-US relations, a stabilising force has stood the test of time: exchanges between people, particularly educational exchanges. International students are a bedrock of ties, their experiences fostering understanding and building vital bridges between the two nations.

As the world’s leading destination for international students, the US has long attracted Chinese students seeking a top-notch education and cross-cultural experiences.

The recent report on international talent mobility, by the Centre for China and Globalisation (CCG), highlights the pivotal role of the US in shaping global talent flows.

Despite geopolitical tensions, Chinese enthusiasm for an American education remains unabated. Last year, the number of Chinese students in the US rebounded to 77.7 per cent of the pre-pandemic level in 2019. China remained the largest source of international students in the US, according to CCG research. This shows the unwavering appeal of American universities.

But educational exchanges should not be a one-way street. As China continues on its development journey, it is imperative to attract more international students, especially from the US. While China has made strides in this regard, there is still room for improvement.

In a worrying trend, the number of Americans studying in China has plummeted in recent years. US ambassador to China Nicholas Burns revealed at a Brookings Institution talk last December that the figure had fallen to just 700, a sharp decline from the 15,000 recorded six or seven years ago. “Last year [2022], we were down to 350 American students in all of China,” he noted.