Chinese President Xi Jinping is targeting American youth with an announced plan to bring 100,000 U.S. students to study in China.
Security and academic experts say extreme surveillance and controls on foreigners, threats of intelligence recruitment, and poor‑quality universities there are unlikely to attract the tens of thousands of Americans the Chinese leader seeks.
“The hope of the China‑U.S. relationship lies in our people, and its future lies with the young,” Mr. Xi said during his White House visit on Sept. 24.
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Critics say the student plan is a strategic influence operation by targeting young Americans and students while opening up young people to Beijing’s intelligence services for aggressive spotting and recruitment of potential future government officials or academics with access to secrets or advanced technology.
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