China will become a dangerous competitor in science and technology if the US treats it like one
Chi Wang says if the US sees Chinese graduate students as a threat to its scientific and technological knowledge, and seeks to lock them out, Beijing will react by blocking opportunities for collaboration and ultimately leave the US behind
That an elected US government official whose work and qualifications clearly align with the hearing’s proposals was declined an invitation to testify raises more than a few questions. Based on the context and discussions that took place at the hearing, I have to wonder if Chu’s own background is the reason she was denied in-person testimony.
Watch: Senator Richard Durbin on protecting educational opportunities and national security
In the late 1950s, the National Science Foundation provided a US$100,000 grant to the Library of Congress Science and Technology Division to invest in monitoring scientific developments in China. Despite the political turmoil of 20th-century China, the foundation’s Foreign Science Division predicted that China had the potential to be among the most powerful centres of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) development.
The library helped hundreds of members of congress and senators, including Ted Kennedy and Mike Mansfield, write reports on China-related issues. Under my direction, we compiled a directory for science and research institutions in China, which became a powerful resource tool for other American institutions.
The irony here as it relates to the subcommittee’s hearing should be clear. China can and will develop with or without the US, but the US is very eager to take what knowledge it can from China.
About a third of foreign students enrolled in US institutions of higher learning are of Chinese origin. Limiting their stay would harm research and technological advancements. It would limit a major investment in the US economy. As an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, I shared my knowledge of China with American and Chinese students alike; as a Chinese-American immigrant, I was proud to do so.
Rather than accusing Chinese students of being spies, the American government should increase federal funding of its own talent recruitment and intellectual exchange with China. In its imperial years, China was one of the most technologically advanced areas of the world. Although political turmoil slowed its growth, that is only a blip on the vast timeline of Chinese history.
China certainly has the capability to leave the US behind, relegating it to a second-class producer of technology and scientific research. If the US continues to lock out Chinese students from the education market, China will surpass the US on its own and not look back. But if the two countries collaborate – knowledge is meant to be shared – then both stand to gain as equals.
Chi Wang, a former head of the Chinese section of the US Library of Congress and former university librarian at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, is president of the US-China Policy Foundation