Chinese media: Harvard and China are fighting in the same trenches

Chinese media reacted strongly to the ban on international admissions at Harvard, as Chinese students are the largest group of international students at the school.

Chinese students are the largest group in the international student community at Harvard - Photo: REUTERS

China has the largest number of international students at Harvard.

On May 22, US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem sent a letter to Harvard University informing it that the US Government officially revoked the school's Student and Exchange Visitor Identification System (SEVIS) certification, effective immediately.

This means that Harvard University is no longer allowed to enroll new international students, and current students on F-1 or J-1 visas risk losing their legal residency in the US if they do not transfer.

According to data released by Harvard, as of the fall 2023 semester, international students account for 27% of the total student population at the school, and Harvard currently has about 6,800 international students from more than 140 countries, the majority of whom are studying in graduate programs.

Of which, China is the country with the largest number of international students at Harvard University, with 1,016 students recorded in 2022, accounting for the largest proportion of the total number of international students studying at the school.

Following China are Canada, India, South Korea, the UK, Germany, Australia, Singapore and Japan, a Reuters report on April 23 said.

'Harvard and China are in the same trenches'

On May 23, the Niu Danqin commentary account, founded and managed by journalist Liu Hong - a senior reporter for Xinhua News Agency - posted an article commenting on the Trump administration's decision to strip Harvard University of its right to enroll international students.

The commentary was later re-shared by several Chinese media outlets, including China.com.

In a commentary, Niu Dan Cam linked the Trump administration's actions to the US-China trade tensions, claiming that the cancellation of Harvard University's international student admissions rights was a retaliatory move because the university "did not listen to instructions."

In one passage, the commentary describes China and Harvard University as “standing in the same trenches,” implying both are forced to choose between complying with or resisting confrontational policies.

In addition, the Nguu Dan Cam account also recommends that international students need to be more cautious when choosing the US as a study abroad destination, in the context of unstable US policies towards foreign students, although the educational quality of training institutions in the US is still highly appreciated.

On the official website of Harvard University's Office of International Affairs, updated figures show that there are currently 1,282 Chinese students studying at the school.

A report by Taiwan's CNA News Agency on May 23 said Harvard University noted that this data is for reference only, and detailed statistics need to be confirmed directly from this office.

Beijing condemns Trump administration for politicizing education

On May 24, the Chinese Foreign Ministry also condemned the Trump administration's politicization of education, and pledged to protect the legitimate rights of Chinese students studying in the US.

Meanwhile, Harvard University has officially filed a lawsuit in Boston Federal Court, accusing the Trump administration of violating the US Constitution and other federal laws, causing damage to the school and the risk of losing legal residency for nearly 7,000 international students, forcing them to transfer schools or leave the US, disrupting their studies.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/truyen-thong-trung-quoc-harvard-va-trung-quoc-dang-chung-chien-hao-20250524110542247.htm