Last November, during the U. S. China summit in San Francisco, Chinese Communist Party (CCP ) leader Xi Jinping announced a plan to invite 50, 000 young Americans to exchange programs to study in China over the next five years. After four teachers from a U.S. school were stabbed in broad daylight in China past year, American may want to reconsider taking Xi’s offer.
The four teachers, including three U. S. people, are affiliated with Cornell College in Iowa ( no Cornell University in New York ). Through a Beihua University-funded trade system, they are educating in the northern city of Jilin, China. According to Jilin’s authorities report, on the morning of June 11, the four instructors were walking in a famous public park when a 55- year- ancient native man, Cui,” collided” with one of the instructors. Cui began kicking the teachers and a Chinese national who tried to stop him. Authorities apprehended Cui immediately. A nearby hospital treated each of the five patients. Thankfully, no one suffered life- disturbing injuries.
Chinese police did n’t publicly share Cui’s motive for such a vicious attack. The Chinese government quickly removed any images that were related to the stabbing event and halted any virtual discussions and news reports that were related. China’s overseas government official insisted that the affair was an “isolated event” and that” China is commonly regarded as one of the safest countries in the world.”
CCP Provoking Hostility Toward Immigrants
It is true that the violence against foreigners by regular Foreign residents has been sporadic there. The majority of foreigners I know who have traveled to China have said that the most memorable aspect of their excursions has always been the Taiwanese people’s hostility and kindness. However, it’s disappointing to notice that some Chinese members’ loving attitudes toward foreigners have turned into hostility as a result of the Chinese Communist Party’s campaign against foreign spy.
Patriotism has increased since Xi took over as leader of the CCP. His anxiety over what he thought was an invasion of China by foreigners led him to build a multi-year campaign against foreign espionage in the name of national protection.
In 2022, China began offering cash rewards of around 100, 000 yuan ($ 15, 000 ) for tips about individuals who endanger national security. In 2023, Xi expanded China’s counterespionage laws, insisting that “news outlets, broadcasters, broadcast stations, the tradition sector, and online providers may even take part in against- espionage education”. Since then, Chinese people have been repeatedly warned by their state that all foreigners have potential spies.
Increased Discrimination
In 2024, China’s detective agency, the Ministry of State Security ( MSS), opened a public profile on WeChat, a popular messaging apps with nearly 1 billion people, urging” all members of society to meet its fight against espionage, offering benefits and protection for those who provide information”. One of its WeChat posts was titled,” Hunting for beauty? You may become the prey”, and warned Chinese citizens about “exotic beauties”, or “honey traps”. These highly hyped campaigns have increased the suspicion of foreigners by some Chinese businesses and citizens.
A Chinese hotel reportedly declined to accommodate foreign guests because the country’s penal system improperly identifies hotels up to$ 15, 000 for errors in the hotel’s identification information. A Chinese citizen stabbed an Israeli embassy worker in Beijing last October, responding to Hamas ‘ request to attack Jews on the “day of rage.”
After the foreign instructors were stabbed last week, retired Gen. Robert Spalding, a longtime China critic, posted on X.com,” This is what happens when you tell the Chinese people all Americans are spies”. It would be a big mistake to just consider this a one-off event for Americans, according to a different China expert, who posted a warning on X.com:” It is a manifestation of rabid officially sanctioned anti-external racial superiority propaganda.” This is n’t just a one- off but official policy”.
Chinese Government’s Threat
The Chinese government poses the greatest threat to Americans or American organizations considering participating in any exchange programs in China, despite the fact that it is the most dangerous. Chinese authorities have increasingly targeted foreign companies and businesspeople with raids, investigations, and detentions. The Chinese authorities have been applying “exit bans” arbitrarily to prevent some foreigners, including those who have committed no wrongdoing, from leaving China. John Feng, Asia editor of Newsweek, estimated that more than 200 U. S. citizens remain “wrongfully detained” in China as of November 2023 and,” Some were persecuted on suspected religious grounds, others are the likely victims of geopolitics. All are at the mercy of , China’s opaque criminal justice system, often with no recourse to legal assistance and little contact with home”.
Americans and American organizations interested in participating in exchange programs in China should be aware of the CCP’s true motivations, aside from personal safety concerns. In the early stages of the Covid pandemic outbreak in 2020, when timely and accurate reporting could have saved lives, China would not have expelled several American journalists from three well-known U.S. media organizations had the CCP really been interested in enhancing cultural and political understanding with the West.
Real Motives
There are two reasons the CCP established and funded these cultural and educational exchange programs for young Americans. First, it has long been the CCP’s custom to influence public perceptions and policies that advance China’s interests by fostering relationships with foreigners, like former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. These foreigners are lavishly greeted by the Chinese government with lavish travel and presents. Once inside China, they become a captive audience. These foreigners ‘ interactions with foreigners are closely monitored by the party to ensure that they use party-approved narratives to influence other people’s policies and policies.
The number of Chinese university students in America has dropped from 15, 000 at its peak ten years ago to only 700 as of last year. Even in the context of his anti-external espionage campaign, why does Xi want more young Americans to visit China? Many of the young Americans who will become the next leaders of America are a rewarding long-term investment, according to the CCP. According to Jeanette Tong and Jianli Yang of Citizen Power Initiatives for China, Beijing “wants to sow seeds in young minds, shaping their future perceptions of authoritarian regimes and molding their worldviews.”
When they return home, the CCP tries to persuade some American youth to engage in intelligence gathering for China. This is not fearmongering. Last September, U. K. police arrested Chris Cash, a 28- year- old British citizen, and a U. K. Parliament researcher, for allegedly spying for China. During his time in China, Cash reportedly had studied and worked there and was hired as a” sleeper” agent in order to break into the country’s political networks critical of the Beijing regime. A young American who studies in China, too, might experience something similar. Tong and Yang warned, “using Americans against America, creating internal chaos in the United States, is the CCP’s most cost- effective and efficient weapon against its adversaries”.
Under normal circumstances, studying abroad or participating in cultural exchange in another country enriches young people’s lives. However, these are not normal circumstances. The United States and China are currently embroiled in a fierce strategic competition — economically, militarily, and ideologically. The possibility of a direct military conflict, particularly if China were to invade Taiwan, is a stark reality. Americans and American organizations must seriously consider the potential risks associated with participating in Xi’s all-expense-paid exchange programs in light of this situation.
