Opinion | Under Biden, US-China tech and educational links remain regrettably weak
- The people-to-people exchanges between the two countries have been in jeopardy since the Trump administration’s trade and tech wars against China
- So far, Biden has shown no sign of easing the situation, which threatens to harm both sides and hamper international cooperation in addressing major challenges
Historically, science and education have played a large part in bridging the divide between China and the United States. In the 106 years between 1872 – when the Qing government sent the first batch of students to the US – and 1978, only some 140,000 Chinese students had studied abroad. Since then, the number of Chinese students studying all over the world has reached 6.56 million.
Yung Wing, the first Chinese who graduated from an American university – Yale – and who later proposed sending youngsters to the US, hoped that such initiatives would enable Chinese to absorb Western academic ideas and make China civilised and prosperous.
In the early 20th century, Chinese returnees from America contributed to the institutionalisation of high education and scientific research. They were also involved in the development of China’s strategic weapons programmes including atomic bombs, missiles and satellites.
Over the past 10 years, Chinese students have accounted for around a third of international students in American universities.
This positive and critical people-to-people exchange is in jeopardy after the trade war launched by the Trump administration against China was extended to technology and talent.