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, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem sent a letter to Harvard University informing them that the U.S. government was officially revoking the university's Student and Visitor Program (SEVIS) accreditation, effective immediately.

This means 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 status in the U.S. if they do not transfer schools.

According to data released by Harvard, as of the fall semester of 2023, international students accounted for 27% of the total student body at the university, and Harvard currently has approximately 6,800 international students from over 140 countries, the majority of whom are enrolled in graduate programs.

Of those countries, China has the largest number of international students at Harvard University, with 1,016 students recorded in 2022, representing the largest proportion of the total international student population.

Following China are Canada, India, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Singapore, and Japan, according to a Reuters report on April 23.

'Harvard and China are in the same trenches.'

On May 23, the comment section "Niu Dan Qin," founded and managed by journalist Liu Hong, a senior reporter for Xinhua News Agency, posted a commentary on the Trump administration's decision to revoke Harvard University's right to enroll international students.

This commentary was subsequently shared by several Chinese media outlets, including China.com.

In the commentary, the user Ngưu Đạn Cầm linked the Trump administration's actions to the US-China trade tensions, suggesting that the cancellation of Harvard University's international student admissions was a retaliatory move because the university "didn't listen to orders."

In one section, the commentary describes China and Harvard University as "standing in the same trenches," implying that both are forced to choose between compliance or resistance to confrontational policies.

Furthermore, the user Ngưu Đạn Cầm also advised international students to be more cautious when choosing the US as a study destination, given the unstable policies regarding foreign students in the US, even though the quality of education at US institutions is still highly regarded.

According to the official website of Harvard University's Office of International Affairs, updated figures show that there are currently 1,282 Chinese students enrolled at the university.

A report by CNA (Taiwan) on May 23rd stated that Harvard University noted that these figures are for reference only, and detailed statistics need to be confirmed directly by the university's office.

Beijing condemns the 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 United States.

Meanwhile, Harvard University has officially filed a lawsuit in Boston federal court, alleging that the Trump administration violated the U.S. Constitution and other federal laws, causing harm to the university and risking the loss of legal residency for nearly 7,000 international students, forcing them to transfer schools or leave the U.S., 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