US to limit Chinese students' access to sensitive technologies, encourage Indian STEM students
- In Reports
- 06:44 PM, Jun 25, 2024
- Myind Staff
Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell proposed that the United States should increase the admission of Chinese students, especially in the humanities, while simultaneously restricting their access to sensitive technological fields. This suggestion comes as U.S. universities continue to implement measures to limit Chinese students' exposure to critical technologies due to ongoing security concerns.
Campbell stressed the shortage of domestic students in STEM fields in the U.S. and advocated for attracting more international talent in these areas, with a preference for students from India, a significant security ally, rather than from China.
Chinese students have long constituted the largest foreign student cohort in the U.S., with nearly 290,000 enrolled in American institutions during the 2022/23 academic year. However, escalating tensions between the U.S. and China, coupled with concerns over intellectual property theft, have fostered an atmosphere of distrust and diminished scientific collaboration.
Speaking at a Council on Foreign Relations event, Campbell expressed a preference for increased enrolment of Chinese students in humanities and social sciences programmes in the United States, rather than fields such as particle physics.
Addressing the controversial China Initiative, which aimed to counter-espionage and intellectual property theft but was terminated amidst allegations of racial profiling, Campbell acknowledged that U.S. universities have been cautious in their engagement of Chinese students, particularly in sensitive technological disciplines.
Campbell asserted that universities in the U.S. have implemented measures to restrict access to specific types of technology, emphasising that such steps have already been taken across the country.
Campbell opposes the idea that China should be the sole provider of increased STEM student enrolment, advocating instead for the United States to concentrate on attracting more students from India for technology and related fields.
He highlighted the importance of maintaining some level of academic and cultural exchange with China. However, Campbell attributed the current strain in these relations largely to actions taken by Beijing, which have caused foreign executives and philanthropists to hesitate in engaging with China due to security concerns.
Image source: Reuters
Comments