Was American science declining in the 1960s when almost no Chinese students were in American universities? Could there also be extremely smart people in Africa that might now find a place in American universities? Are there Americans that might now find a place in American Universities? I am not saying anything about visa policies, but suggesting that limiting Chinese students will hurt American science is a pretty narrow view. There is also a counter argument that many bright Chinese students go back to China, thus strengthening China. There is also another view that some Chinese students are working for or carrying the water for Beijing’s government. Students in China can’t just decide to go to the US, they have to be approved by the Chinese government and there is no doubt that such approvals require allegiance to the CCP and and some willingness to help the CCP when asked. Attributing nothing but good intentions for the 350,000 Chinese students admitted to the US each year is naïve.
The world today is very different from the 1960s, particularly regarding both the US and China. I have absolutely no doubt that there are unbelievably intelligent people in Africa now, just as there were (and of course are) in China and everywhere else where people exist.
The lack of infrastructure, support and adequate living conditions is all that severely limits them from reaching their potential and they know this, which is why they climb the Everest of bureaucratic hurdles to get to a place like the US. China is a unique case because it has become wealthy (enough) very quickly and critically also has a very large population, which statistically increases the chances of very intelligent people appearing given the right conditions; if 1% of a billion population is very intelligent that's 10 million people in real terms.
I don't think the US has the dominance it did in science like it did in the 60s, when Europe and Japan were still recovering from war and China was still poor. I think the loss of a large number of Chinese students would certainly have an affect on the US's development in science today.
> there is no doubt that such approvals require allegiance to the CCP and and some willingness to help the CCP when asked.
No, they really don’t. Where’s your source for this? You make it sound like we’re just admitting 350,000 spies into the States each year.
However, it is true that if you make these folks feel thoroughly unwelcome, they will want to just go home and help out - and that’s exactly what you’ll do by (a) being baselessly suspicious of them and (b) being harsh when they try to stay for studies or immigrate.
I dunno about OP, but there are definitely industrial spy issues, and individual Chinese students do have issues with the government in traveling to the US. I had a Chinese student who I would have loved to keep in the US, but according to him, his parents would suffer because they worked in the banking industry, and they'd fall under suspicion.
If hurt feelings are going to make someone fight for a totalitarian regime, that itself would be plenty reason to be suspicious. Of course, assuming that's even true -- it's not like you provided a source or anything.
Students in China can’t just decide to go to the US, they have to be approved by the Chinese government and there is no doubt that such approvals require allegiance to the CCP and and some willingness to help the CCP when asked.
What on earth are you talking about? I mean they have to get a passport, true. This takes about 10 days, but has no special requirements.
But that's the same situation as in the US, where school students literally recite the pledge of allegiance.
https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/chines...