Others recount the heartbreak and confusion of being turned away at the border, their visas canceled without a clear explanation.
Chinese scholars, officials and students say they are being unfairly targeted by U.S. border officials, adding to growing doubt and disillusionment among Chinese students — a key source of tuition fees and talent for American universities — about whether coming to the United States is even worth it.
“It used to be that it was an honor to study in the United States. For some parents, it had to be the U.S. or nothing, but that sentiment has weakened,” said Leon Mei, a civil servant in Wuhan, China, whose 17-year-old son is applying to universities in the United States, but also in Britain and Australia.
The frictions are driving a deeper wedge between China and the United States at a time when they’re trying to stabilize relations and tamp down tensions. During a November meeting in California, President Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to welcome more students into their countries. Given the long list of intractable issues, from Taiwan to trade sanctions, boosting student numbers should have been among the easiest to progress on.
This has not been the case.
Chinese nationals studying in the United States have been under extra scrutiny for the past four years, since a Trump-era rule barred students — especially in science and tech fields — with suspected military links.
That policy has continued under the Biden administration. Since the start of…
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