For Chinese Students, the Beautiful American Dream Is Ending

Trump's weaponization of student visas could prove to be the final nail in the coffin for Chinese admiration of America.

- Tan Dawn Wei

In 1978, as China's then paramount leader Deng Xiaoping embarked on his historic reform and opening up campaign, he asked then US President Jimmy Carter to let 5,000 Chinese students attend university in America.

"Tell him to send 100,000," said the US president to his adviser, Frank Press, who woke him up at 3 a.m. to convey the Beijing request.

Deng's strategy to send thousands for overseas education, as he tried to restore the country's scientific establishment after the devastating Cultural Revolution, faced its share of opposition. Critics worried that the Chinese students, once having tasted the freedom and prosperity of the West, wouldn't want to return home.

But the Chinese leader was sure of his decision. Even if only some came back, their contributions would still benefit the country, he reasoned.

Unsurprisingly, in subsequent years, the Land of the Free became the most popular destination for Chinese seeking higher education. At its peak, during the pre-Covid 2019-2020 academic year, there were over 370,000 students from China spread across American universities.

The next most popular destination, the United Kingdom, trailed far behind, with less than half that number at about 150,000.

A big proportion of these students did end up staying in their host countries, especially in the United States.

For decades, Chinese parents—many scrimping, borrowing and saving—had a single-minded vision to send their children to the top institutions in the US. These parents included President Xi Jinping, whose daughter, Minze, attended Harvard in 2010. They also included Mr. Xi's predecessors, Mr. Jiang Zemin and Mr. Hu Jintao, whose son and daughter respectively did their postgraduate studies in the US.