This article is a column written by Wang Huiyao, director of the Globalization Think Tank (CCG), for Beijing Youth Daily, which was published on August 22, 2021.
Overall, although the investment requirements for studying abroad are higher, the "value of studying abroad" is not necessarily related to whether there is a direct short-term income return, and the "experience" in studying abroad is the biggest gain, and most people think that studying abroad is worth it.
Since August, the United States has opened up the entry of international students. Although the number of new cases in the United States on COVID-19 Days is approaching 150,000, the demand for Chinese students to go to the United States has surged with the arrival of the school season. Due to the continued spread of the epidemic and the civil aviation authority's "five ones" and flight circuit breaker policies, the number of international flights is still very limited. According to reports, from August 1 to 18, Chinese mainland a total of 455 passenger flights between the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, a decrease of about 60 compared with the same period in 2020.
Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of Chinese students studying abroad is still considerable. The United States began issuing visas to international students in April, and nearly 60,000 visas were issued to Chinese students in May and June. Compared with the pre-epidemic visa data, the number of us embassies issued this summer is basically the same as in 2019. According to a report released by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE), in 2020, there were 1.25 million international students in the United States, of which the number of Chinese students in the United States was 382,500, although about 90,000 fewer than in 2019, China is still the largest source of international students in the United States.
In recent years, with the increase in the number of returnees from studying abroad, there have been discussions in society such as "the income of studying abroad is not high" and "the income advantage of returnees is not obvious". However, the "China Returnee Employment and Entrepreneurship Survey Report 2019" jointly released by the Globalization Think Tank (CCG) and Zhaopin Recruitment shows that 72% of the returnees surveyed believe that the harvest of studying abroad meets and exceeds expectations, the proportion of those who believe that "the harvest is greater than expected" and "the harvest is much greater than expected" are 23% and 13%, and the proportion of those who believe that "the harvest is almost the same as expected" is 36%. Overall, although the investment requirements for studying abroad are higher, the "value of studying abroad" is not necessarily related to whether there is a direct short-term income return, and the "experience" in studying abroad is the biggest gain, and most people think that studying abroad is worth it.
Statistics on the number of study abroad personnel of the Ministry of Education show that in 2019, the total number of people studying abroad in China was 703,500, a record high. Under the epidemic situation, the risk of the epidemic in many countries such as the United States and Europe is relatively high, and some views in social media and public discussions believe that "it is better to stay at home" and "study abroad will lead to brain drain". However, fundamentally speaking, studying abroad is still an important channel for Chinese students to receive international high-quality education, cultivate international vision and enhance international competitiveness, and studying abroad is still of great significance to the growth of Chinese students and the cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries.
In general, overseas students have a broad international vision, are familiar with international rules, have certain transnational contacts, have multiple cultural backgrounds and language skills, which is conducive to cross-cultural exchanges and better adapts to the global economic development model. In the context of China's deepening opening up and development and deep participation in global governance, international students still have significant advantages in promoting China's participation in international occasions and formulating new rules, promoting China's further reform and opening up through internal and external linkage, and helping Chinese enterprises "go global" and multinational enterprises "walk in".
At the same time, as a bridge and link for cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, study abroad personnel can also play a practical role in improving China's international image and enhancing Sino-foreign friendship. As the carrier of the national image, international students can help the international public eliminate misunderstandings about China and enhance China's national soft power construction and cultural influence by displaying Chinese good spiritual outlook. In the people-to-people exchanges between China and foreign countries, international students can convey information about traditional Chinese culture, civilization norms, religious pursuits, and contemporary Chinese experience and development models. The people-to-people diplomacy carried out by overseas Chinese students, the Federation of Students, professional associations and think tanks as the carrier can enhance the understanding of China by international elite talents in various fields, promote the strengthening of transnational mutual trust between ordinary people at home and abroad through direct exchanges, and play an important coordinating role in building a good environment for international relations.
As a developed country with great advantages in various disciplines and technical fields, the United States has long been an important study abroad destination for international students from all over the world. Over the past 40 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, Chinese returnees who have studied in the United States have made important contributions to China's development and progress and to the enhancement of Sino-US economic and trade people-to-people exchanges. In recent years, China has developed rapidly in terms of education level, economic strength and scientific and technological strength, but for a period of time, studying in the United States is still one of the best choices for Chinese students. There are more students studying abroad between China and the United States, which will also help China and the United States maintain good cultural and economic ties. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that international students contributed $44 billion to the U.S. economy in 2019. According to the largest number of Chinese students, the living expenses and tuition fees of Chinese students reached 15.9 billion US dollars.
At present, the new crown virus is still raging around the world, and Chinese students studying abroad should pay more attention to protection while refining their studies. It is believed that with the development of China getting better and better, returning to China after completing school will be the first choice for many international students. In short, international students are and will be an important bridge for China to promote open development and enhance people-to-people exchanges between China and foreign countries, and should provide more powerful policy support for the smooth development of the study abroad cause.
This article was published in Beijing Youth Daily, August 22, 2021
● Publishing | CITIC Publishing Group
● Author | Wang Huiyao, Miao Green
Book Introduction
"I Say China to the World" is published by CITIC Publishing Group based on the important research results of "China's External Narrative and Reshaping of Discourse Power under the New World Pattern" by Wang Huiyao, Director of the Globalization Think Tank (CCG), and Miao Lu, Secretary-General. It is reported that the book tells the story of the globalization think tank in recent years, based on the Munk Debate, the Munich Security Conference, the Paris Peace Forum, the Davos Forum and other well-known international stages, with the well-known people in the political, business and academic circles of various countries to talk about the international current situation and future trends, respond to the concerns and doubts of all parties about China, interpret China's development model, reduce the misunderstanding of the outside world about China, through multi-level, multi-subject, diversified, multi-channel international exchanges and dissemination, and tell the times of China from a global perspective. A vivid story that actively portrays a credible, lovely and respectable image of China. At the same time, based on the changes in the international situation and the new pattern of global communication, this book provides an in-depth and simple analysis of how China should carry out foreign exchanges and dissemination work, how to innovate external propaganda methods to tell the Chinese story well, and so on.
● More...
Many experts commented on "I Say China to the World": China is no longer speechless in the international public opinion field
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