Experts cautiously optimistic about China-US educational exchanges

By Wang Yiming
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, January 22, 2021
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Graduate students from China attend the Columbia University Commencement ceremony in New York, the United States, May 22, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]

Former government officials, scholars, and other education experts from China and the United States expressed cautious optimism about the prospects of China-US education cooperation under the Biden administration during a webinar titled "New administration: What's the next step for Sino-US education cooperation," which was held on Jan. 16.

"Education exchange has been a pillar of US-China relations, promoting mutual understanding, fostering trust, and encouraging innovation. Together with trade, education was the ballast that stabilized relations between the two countries," said Julia Chang Bloch, the first U.S. ambassador of Asian descent and president of the US-China Education Trust.

Bloch believes the Biden administration is "undoubtedly going to have policies that are more welcoming to international students and that will provide predictability to students and scholars while meeting the challenges presented by collaboration and education exchanges with China."

She highlighted several positive signals that the new administration has so far shown, for example, plans to increase the number of high-skilled visas, including H-1B that will be granted, and elimination of limits on employment-based visas by country.

"We can expect predictability in the US international education system will return under the Biden administration. But I must also say that restoring American status as the preferred destination for higher education for international students and scholars cannot be done overnight."

Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic had a serious impact on international education in China. With the coronavirus raging in the United States and uncertainties in Sino-US relations, many Chinese students and parents harbored doubts and concerns about studying in the United States, said Cen Jianjun, former minister counselor in the education office of the Chinese embassy in the US.

"However, from the perspective of economic globalization, China's demand for international talents is constant. As the new US government takes office, new changes and opportunities in receiving education in the US will occur," Cen added.

A recent survey conducted by the Institute of International Education South-South Cooperation shows that the United States is still the primary choice for Chinese wishing to study abroad while nearly 67% regard "social safety" as a primary concern.

At present, America still has the edge when it comes to teachers, scientific research environment, and campus facilities for higher education, said Dr. Cheng Davis, co-founder and chairperson of Forum for World Education (FWE) and special advisor to the President of the University of Pennsylvania.

Stephen T. Golding, senior advisor to the President of Ohio University and executive-in-residence at the university's Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, maintains that American higher education institutions will not be politically influenced and will stick firmly to the values of openness and diversity when emphasizing the merits of international education.

The webinar was jointly held by the China Education Association for International Exchange and the Institute of International Education South-South Cooperation and garnered about 290,000 views. 

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