Decline of US Students in China Means Fewer Experts

01The number of Americans studying in China has decreased by large amounts in recent years, from around 11,000 in 2019 to 800 this year.

02Some people with knowledge of China worry that the U.S.

03could lose a generation of China experts as a result.

04David Moser is an American who has lived and worked in China for more than 30 years.

05He is the former academic director of China Educational Tours, or CET, in Beijing.

06He said, I haven't seen an American student in years.

07CET was launched in 1982.

08The organization helps bring American students to China for language and cultural studies.

09It used to have programs in several cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Harbin, and Hangzhou.

10Now, the program is only available in Beijing and Shanghai.

11Moser thinks the U.S.

12has already lost a generation of students who could be Chinese experts ten years from now.

13During the 2011-2012 school year, the number of American students in China was around 15,000.

14Since then, under Xi Jinping's leadership and growing tension between the two countries, the number has decreased.

15At one point after the pandemic, the number dropped to 200 students.

16Moser said having fewer people who understand China is a huge loss for the U.S.

17You really need people who understand the two academic systems, the two college systems, and the way these things work in order to not make a huge mistake, he said.

18Compared with China, however, CET's projects in Taiwan have been attracting students.

19Moser said CET started its first summer study abroad program at National Taiwan University in 2022.

20The program brought in more than 120 American students.

21He said the program was set up in Taiwan because too few American students wanted to go to China.

22Moser believes that starting around 2008, air pollution and reports of human rights violations in China began to turn some American students away.

23China's strict lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic also had a large effect.

24At that time, many foreigners, including American students, left China.

25In addition, a revised Chinese anti-spying law that took effect on July 1, 2023, has made some Americans worry about traveling to China.

26The law expands how the Chinese government can look into the activities of foreigners in China.

27As the law negatively affected China, the Chinese government tried to build up exchange programs.

28In November 2023, President Xi offered to invite 50,000 Americans to China for exchanges and studies for the next five years.

29Megan Burke is a former sociology professor at Illinois Wesleyan University.

30When VOA asked her about the 800 American students in China today, she said that the low number was a problem for the United States.

31Language is key to understanding culture.

32So, any limits on learning Mandarin or other Chinese languages only hold back our ability to have a broader and more complex intercultural understanding, Burke said.

33In contrast, 300,000 Chinese students are studying in the U.S.

34Moser of CET said the unequal number of students between the two countries is bad for both countries.

35However, he added that it is even worse for the U.S.

36Moser said, while the U.S.

37lacks knowledge of China, the Chinese have very good knowledge of the U.S., of its culture, of its government, everything.

38I'm Andrew Smith.