Steps to Aid Chinese Students

Government-sponsored repression and retaliation continues against university students in the People’s Republic of China in the aftermath of last spring’s crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrations. Panic is now rampant on China’s campuses since students have been told that after April of 1990 they will have to work from 5-7 years before requesting permission to study abroad. In addition, despite promises to the contrary, the government is now punishing students who took part in sympathetic demonstrations in the U.S. this spring. A number of students still studying in the U.S. have been dismissed from their Chinese work units ( danwei ) in absentia.

Now that some of these policies have been disclosed, it is time to ask what we can and should be doing to help China’s “best and brightest.” In particular, we should ask what can be done to help those students who want to study in the U.S. and to assist those who are already here. A number of prudent steps merit consideration.

- The Educational Testing Service should waive test fees for Chinese students and should schedule additional test dates to accommodate student demand. These fees are very expensive for students and are difficult and risky to pay since the only reliable source of U.S. dollars necessary to pay the fees is the black market.

- The Immigration and Naturalization Service should instruct the American embassy and consulates in China to streamline the process of obtaining a student visa to study in the U.S.

- The U.S. Congress should allocate and direct the Department of Education to administer a special scholarship fund for Chinese students to study in the U.S., especially in the social sciences.

- The Department of Education should coordinate financial assistance for Chinese students from private foundations and individuals in order to put together necessary aid packages.

- American universities should waive application fees for Chinese applicants this year, admit more graduate students for the 1990 winter semester or spring quarter, and reduce the amount of committed financial assistance Chinese students need in order to gain admission.

- Congress should pass special legislation to grant extended visa status to all Chinese students currently studying in the U.S. and should grant resident status to any Chinese in the U.S. targeted for punishment by the Chinese government.

An educational crisis is brewing in China. Our political tradition and a strong interest in a democratic China demand that we do whatever is possible to facilitate the education of China’s future leaders.

MARK P. PETRACCA

Assistant Professor, UCI

The writer was a visiting professor in the department of international politics at Beijing University in the fall of 1987.