American students in China have not experienced a serious threat to their safety and the U.S. State Department needs to be more specific in its travel recommendations to the country, academics said Thursday.
“Therefore, more specific travel advisories are needed” to clarify high-risk groups, she continued, noting that given the current advisories for mainland China, U.S. universities may fear sending students to China. He pointed out that
The State Department's designation, set at “Level 3” on a four-point risk scale, urges visitors to “reconsider travel” and warns against arbitrary local laws “including the risk of exit bans and illegal detention.” It cites execution.
US committee asks State Department to set travel advisory for Xinjiang at highest level
US committee asks State Department to set travel advisory for Xinjiang at highest level
Although the department does not release numbers on the number of Americans experiencing exit bans or wrongful detention, the safety concerns continue to plague students, businesses and even tourists considering travel to China. ing.
However, the Chinese embassy in Washington and academics from the United States and China are calling on the State Department to lift the Level 3 designation.
“I have never heard of an American student having trouble entering China at the airport,” said Xie Tao, dean and professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University. He added that he had heard the opposite about students. US.
China warns US to 'stop harassing' Chinese students at border for no reason
China warns US to 'stop harassing' Chinese students at border for no reason
“This fear and worry about traveling to China is completely overblown,” he says.
Seligson said the detention cases involving U.S. citizens she knows appear to involve only businessmen.
“If a non-businessman is detained, [State Department officials] That’s what you should say,” she said.
Calls for the US to ease travel warnings for mainland China come as both sides emphasize the importance of people-to-people exchanges, with Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden also holding face-to-face talks in November. This was acknowledged by both.
Scholars speaking at Thursday's event pointed to the immense benefits of academic exchange and the costs associated with what they called the “over-securitization” of bilateral academic relations.
“Until 2013, China was the most important collaborator for U.S. scientists in the life sciences,” said Scott Rozelle of Stanford University, referring to the University of San Diego study. I did,” he said.
The 120-page report, released Thursday, includes essays by 26 academics and experts in fields ranging from artificial intelligence to environmental science, and combines national security concerns with promoting academic exchange. This is an attempt to provide a solution that strikes a balance between
Ambassador Burns, who spoke virtually Sunday at a conference co-hosted by Duke University and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, similarly did not emphasize the travel risks for American students heading to China. But he acknowledged that the State Department's recommendations reflect real concerns.
“I've never seen students in trouble,” he said, highlighting the Chinese government's raids on American companies and the illegal imprisonment of some Americans.
“We encourage American students to come to China, and our institutions are working to make that happen,” he added.
