SINGAPORE: Like many of his peers from China who have been grappling with increasing pressure and uncertainty in recent weeks over their studies in the United States, Christopher has found himself in limbo.
Speaking to CNA under a pseudonym due to an ongoing clampdown on foreign students, especially those from China at US universities, the 23-year-old international student from Hangzhou shared his account of studying at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he has been pursuing his master’s in computer science.
“The US is undeniably the world leader in this industry,” said Christopher, adding that American computer science programmes were “among the best”.
Currently home in China on a three-month summer internship with tech giant Alibaba, he is slated to return to the US for the new school semester beginning in September.
“It’s extremely absurd that the US government has taken the most extreme step backwards,” Christopher said.
“Their actions have betrayed everyone who had high hopes and expectations for the country.”
EDUCATION CRACKDOWN
According to official data, nearly 280,000 students from China made up a quarter of all international enrolments in the US last year.
But rising anti-China rhetoric and the looming threat of Trump’s sudden policy shifts have reportedly prompted many students and their families to rethink their higher education plans in the US.
The situation escalated to new highs in May, unfolding against the backdrop of rapidly deteriorating Sino-US relations when the Trump administration moved to block Harvard University from enrolling international students and issued new measures targeting Chinese nationals – who made up a fifth of its foreign student intake in 2024.
Beijing has condemned the recent actions, saying it had lodged protests with Washington and “consistently opposed the politicisation of educational cooperation”.
“The US has unreasonably cancelled Chinese students’ visas under the pretext of ideology and national rights,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during a routine press briefing on Friday (May 30), adding that it had also urged the US to be more constructive towards stable bilateral relations.
