It is unlikely that relations between China and the West are going to dramatically improve in the foreseeable future. Indeed, current election-induced anti-China US congressional activity is a move in the wrong direction. This has harmed educational and academic exchanges, for one thing.
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The number of Hong Kong undergraduate students studying in the US, for example, dropped from 5,272 in 2015-2016 to 3,021 in 2022-2023. Over the same period, the number of graduate students rose from 1,041 to 1,589. The United States has the most influential and one of the largest university systems in the world. Meanwhile, Hong Kong has multiple universities that are globally ranked.
Regardless of the geopolitical uncertainties, universities remain crucial institutions for mutual peace, understanding, research and security, especially with regards to health and climate-related issues.
US-China relations are unlikely to return to the “good old days” any time soon, but now is the time to immediately restart the Fulbright programme, which was terminated during the Donald Trump administration after it had operated in Hong Kong for many years. In the four years prior to the programme being shut down, some six to seven young Hong Kong scholars lectured or undertook research in the US annually. A bill to restore the Fulbright programmes for Hong Kong and mainland China was introduced on March 29, 2023, but has yet to be passed.
Between 2015 and 2021, US agencies supported nearly US$30 million worth of research in Chinese universities and other institutions. Funded research programmes can be an important tool for building trust. In recent years, China and the US have co-published more research articles than any other country.
A researcher from a lab at Peking University uses a machine to visualise engineered radioligands distributed in mice tumour cells. Improvements to a type of radiation therapy could offer hope to late-stage cancer patients. Photo: Peking University
However, in recent years, there has been a decrease in US-based scientists citing research papers by Chinese scientists in fields such as artificial intelligence. While the reasons are varied, the lack of American citations of Chinese research is perhaps due to a fear of being investigated for ties to China. This is, of course, detrimental to global science and innovation.
