Should young Americans study in China? President Xi’s invitation reignites debate over risks and rewards

WASHINGTON – When American student Josh Lipman began looking at where to spend a semester studying abroad, he considered Europe, Australia and parts of Asia, including Japan. China barely figured into the equation.

“I think that China just isn’t really on people’s radar. I can’t even remember what programmes we have there, to be honest,” the third‑year public policy student at George Washington University told The Straits Times on campus one Friday afternoon.

Even if he were to consider China, the 20-year‑old acknowledged reservations about surveillance and navigating a political system different from the one he is used to, although these were not necessarily deal‑breakers.

Much would depend on the nature and parameters of the programme, he said. Students might be more comfortable with a semester‑long exchange organised through their American university than enrolling independently for a full degree at a Chinese university, he added.

“I could see a study abroad experience as being both a positive and a negative. Given the importance of US‑China relations to national security, having first‑hand experience would maybe be a boost to people,” he said.

His considerations reflect some of the questions surrounding Chinese President Xi Jinping’s invitation for 100,000 young Americans to visit China for study and exchanges over the next five years, announced during his recent state visit to Washington for a highly watched summit with US President Donald Trump.

The figure, double the 50,000 target that Xi set in 2023, has renewed debate among US‑China watchers over whether sending the next generation of Americans to China to understand the country’s most consequential rival is both necessary and desirable.

Chinese news agency Xinhua said the 50,000 target was reached in 2026, ahead of schedule.

Some analysts have warned that the US risks losing a generation of officials, scholars and business leaders with the first‑hand experience needed to understand China, as the number of Americans studying there has dwindled to a fraction of its pre‑pandemic level.

Others, including Americans whose careers were shaped by years in China, question whether the benefits of being there now outweigh the risks students could face, with the more restrictive political environment and limits on academic freedom.

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