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Opinion | How restoring youth exchanges can build future bridges between China and US
- Enrolment numbers of Americans in Chinese universities are historically low amid strained bilateral relations
- China should get creative with policies to attract students and young professionals from the US and around the world
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In a significant diplomatic gesture during his visit to the Apec summit in San Francisco last year, President Xi Jinping announced that China would invite 50,000 young Americans to take part in exchange and study programmes over the next five years.
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This commitment to mend the cultural rift with the US was highlighted by the warm reception students from Muscatine High School in Iowa received when they visited China in late January. They also received a personal letter from Xi.
Yet, such expressions of goodwill are not enough on their own. The number of American students enrolling in Chinese universities has dropped to its lowest level in a decade. According to a US government-funded study by the Institute of International Education, just 211 Americans studied in mainland China during the 2021-22 academic year.
In 2023, US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns estimated there were about 350 American students enrolled in study abroad programmes in China. The Covid-19 pandemic, strained bilateral relations and challenges such as the delayed resumption of direct flights have all played a part in this downturn.
It is imperative that the trend is reversed. The decline represents a lost opportunity for nearly a generation of young people to learn about China and potentially enhance the China-US relationship. Historically, students have been vital links, serving dual roles in public diplomacy as learners and influencers, fostering mutual understanding even when diplomatic and economic relations have soured.
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If the US-China Science and Technology Agreement is renewed, it will offer a great opportunity for more young Americans to pursue their studies in China. However, there are several other initiatives that could also be implemented to further improve the situation. Exceptional programmes such as those at the Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University and at Yenching Academy, Peking University, could play an essential role.
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