Is a US science degree worth the risk for China’s top STEM students?
- Washington has introduced a range of measures to restrict Chinese access to American technology as the two powers vie for dominance
- Beijing is also trying to encourage its best and brightest to stay at home with various incentives, including a guaranteed career path
Eighteen-year-old Beijing high school student Andrew Li is a shoo-in for a place at a top university but still faces a tough decision.
Li, a winner of several national physics contests, has already received offers from two Chinese universities and a prestigious US college.
In the past the choice would have been simple – he would have accepted the US offer for the chance to study at a higher academic standard. But geopolitics has cast a shadow over the United States, making staying in China a more secure bet.
“It’s a big and hard decision to make,” Li said. “My parents have had many sleepless nights and we’ve made a long list of pros and cons. Yet we can’t decide whether to stay in China or go to the US.”
In recent months, the administration of US President Donald Trump has made a series of moves to restrict Chinese access to American developments. These efforts include limits on the number of Chinese studying or working at US institutions and control the transfer of knowledge to US-based foreign talent.