In a strategic shift in educational and immigration policies, the United States is now aiming to bolster the enrollment of STEM students from India while considering restrictions on Chinese students’ access to technology-related programs. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell highlighted this change during a recent discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Campbell emphasized the shortage of American students pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and underscored the importance of attracting more international students, particularly from India, a key security partner for the US. This marks a departure from previous trends where Chinese students constituted the largest group of foreign students in the US, numbering nearly 290,000 during the 2022/23 academic year.
“I believe that the most significant increase needed going forward should involve a much larger number of Indian students coming to study in American universities across various technology and other fields,” Campbell stated, as quoted by Reuters.
Campbell also advocated for a shift among Chinese students towards humanities and social sciences, redirecting them away from sensitive technology disciplines due to ongoing security concerns. He referenced recent measures by US universities to limit Chinese students’ access to certain technologies amidst the discontinuation of the Trump administration’s China Initiative, aimed at countering espionage and intellectual property theft.
Despite these shifts, Campbell cautioned against severing all ties with China, attributing any decline in academic, business, or nonprofit sector connections to actions by Beijing. He also acknowledged concerns among foreign executives and philanthropists regarding personal security risks in China, which could deter long-term commitments.
