Decrease in Chinese International Students in the US After 10 Years: "They Will Go to Europe and Asia"

Friendly Tuition Fees for International Students from France and Germany
Relatively Lower Tuition Fees Evaluated for Korea and Japan

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyunjung] As tensions between the U.S. and China have prolonged, a report stating that the number of Chinese international students in the U.S. has decreased for the first time in 10 years was published in China.

On the 29th, the Chinese state-run media Global Times reported that the Beijing think tank China Center for Globalization (CCG) recently released an analysis report with such findings. According to the report, the number of Chinese international students in the U.S. during the 2020-2021 academic year decreased by 14.6% compared to 2019-2020. The number of Chinese students in Australia also showed a decline of 11.9% in 2021 and 9.9% in 2020.

The report analyzed that "while the U.S. and Australia still rank among the top five destinations for Chinese students, the deterioration of U.S.-China relations and trade and geopolitical disputes between China and Australia have led to a decrease in the number of students in both countries."

Furthermore, the report mentioned that more students may move to European and Asian countries where the academic environment and visa policies are more favorable. Global Times quoted the report saying, "European countries such as France and Germany have continued to introduce policies to facilitate or attract Chinese students to study in their countries," and "Asian countries like Japan, South Korea, and Singapore also have advantages such as geographical accessibility, similar cultural characteristics, and relatively affordable tuition fees."

In this context, the U.S. Senate passed the "U.S. Innovation and Competition Act" in June last year to strengthen scrutiny over projects involving China in areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and quantum computing. Five months later, Australia introduced a blueprint to enhance protection for 63 key technologies. Experts also point out that, besides possible restrictions on students from sensitive fields, informal exchanges with China in countries like the U.S. have decreased in recent years.

Zhou Mansheng, former Deputy Director of the Education Development Research Center at the Ministry of Education, explained that some long-standing exchange projects between U.S. and Chinese scholars have been suspended in recent years. The report also noted a significant increase in the "return rate," which indicates the proportion of Chinese students returning to China after graduation. This is attributed to China’s rapid economic development and talent attraction policies, as well as the complex international situation including changes in foreign visa policies. According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, the return rate in 2019 was 82.5%, a sharp rise from 38.5% in 2008.

Meanwhile, recently, a Chinese international student in the U.S. was sentenced to a heavy prison term on espionage charges. A jury at the U.S. District Court in Chicago found Chinese national Zhi Chaokun guilty of illegal activities in the U.S. as an agent of the Chinese government. Zhi was charged with three counts: acting as a foreign government intelligence agent without prior registration with the U.S. Department of Justice, conspiracy to act as a Chinese intelligence agent, and making false statements to the U.S. military.