CHINA HAS OUTGOOD THE UNITED STATES IN PROVIDING GOVERNMENT SCHOLARSHIPS TO LATINOS, WHICH WILL AFFECT THE REGION

Source: Global Times

The Miami Herald article of the United States on January 19, original title: China surpasses the United States in providing government scholarships to Latin Americans, which will affect the region This seems to be trivial news, but it is not: China has promised to provide Latin American students with 5,000 government scholarships in the next three years, surpassing the U.S. government. During the recent China-CELAC Forum Ministerial (Video) Meeting, this commitment made by China was almost "buried" in the cooperation agreement signed by the two sides. In addition to the scholarships, China will also provide 3,000 training places and further implement the "Bridge of the Future" training plan for young leaders in China and Latin America.

When I first saw these messages at the China Bulletin, which focused on Business and Government relations between China and Latin America, my first reaction was to wonder how the U.S. government was doing. The newsletter's publisher, Nicolas Santo, a Uruguayan-born and Seattle-based entrepreneur who studied in China, told me that "there is no doubt that China is offering scholarships to more Latin American students than the U.S. government."

U.S. officials say it's unfair to compare scholarships offered by the U.S. and Chinese governments because most of the financial aid provided to foreign students in the U.S. university system comes from schools rather than the government. Admittedly, American colleges and universities enroll far more Latin American students than Chinese colleges and universities. Today, nearly 73,000 students in Latin America and the Caribbean are enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities. By 2017, only 2,200 Latin American students were studying at Chinese universities.

But China's scholarship and student exchange programs may have more far-reaching political influence than similar programs in the United States. Most Latin American students studying in the United States come from upper-middle-class families and pay high tuition fees, while most Latin American students in China come from working-class families and seek to advance in government positions. In addition, a significant number of Latin American students study business at U.S. universities and enter the private sector, while many Latin American students in China study international relations and Chinese studies. Once they return to their home countries and start their careers in government, academia or journalism, they will become experts on China. "China is doing this to boost its soft power and to produce graduates who understand China's international affairs so that they can play a relevant role when they get influential positions in their own country," Santo said.

Robert Ellis, a professor at the U.S. Army War College who specializes in China's relations with Latin America, said China's scholarship program shows that "China is really good at advancing its strategic interests through people-to-people diplomacy." He said that although it is too simplistic to think that China will turn Latin American students into Chinese propagandists, once these students become experts on China in their own countries, they will not echo the anti-China voices.

Judging from what I have seen and heard and the frequent conversations I have had with experts on China abroad, this is often the case. China has developed a strategy to win the hearts and minds of Latin Americans, while the United States has not done so. Or the U.S. is doing the same, just secrecy is doing a good job. (Translated by Andres Oppenheimer, Cui Xiaodong)