President Trump shifts course on China, will allow 600,000 student visas.

 

President Trump and President Xi. Fox News/Bloomberg/Getty. 

President Trump has shifted course on China, and will allow up to 600,000 student visas from the country. Fox News. Trump made the remarks today and people have speculated that it could be a signal that US-China relations are thawing after a trade war. Talks led to lower levels of tariffs after a tit for tat trade war ended this may, though Trump is still threatening tariffs on certain goods, such as magnets. There are currently 270,000 students from China enrolled at US universities. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has gone after visas for Chinese nationals that have ties to the Communist party or are in sensitive research fields. 

My Comment:

This is not a popular move by President Trump and one I don't really agree with. Though 600,000 students is a drop in the bucket it does come at a time where most folks are against immigration of any form. And it comes at a time where China and the United States are, if not outright enemies, competitors at least. 

To be fair, there could be some benefits to allowing it. If it is something that allows America to get a favorable trade deal with China then it might be worth it. It does seem like America is heading that way and it's a given that we would have to give something up in order to get what we want. Given that these students aren't a huge deal, it might just be something worth offering up, if a trade deal is upcoming. 

These foreign students would also help the economy a bit. They would at least prop up our college systems that do need foreign students to survive (at least some of them do). These students would at least buy things to survive while they were here and that would cause some economic activity. 

There is also the idea that educating these people could lead to real change in China. The idea is that they would be exposed to American ideals and beliefs and could spread those back home in China. This could lead to liberalization and could even lead to better relations with China. After all, these students would likely be elite and would have a fair amount of influence. 

Of course, all issues are trade offs and even if all of those things are true, it still might not be worth it. There would be a real fear that many of these students would be spies, either in the traditional sense, stealing government secrets, or more corporate versions that would steal research and scientific discoveries. China has a long history of both and it's not a great idea to allow them further access than they already have. 

The other issue is that they might be taking seats that Americans should have first access too. Given how lucrative these students are, it's very likely that they would be pushed to the front of the line and make American students 2nd class citizens in their own country. This is, of course, already happening, but it could absolutely get worse. And it's very possible that these colleges could change their coursework to better reflect Chinese capabilities. Remember what I said about these students influencing China? Well, that's a two way street and these students could convince Americans that their way of doing things is better. 

I also have to wonder why we would want to help China. These students will, presumably, be well trained and would be used to make China stronger. America probably doesn't benefit from a stronger China (though who knows what the future holds). Should an economic or actual war break out between China and the United States perhaps this will be like shooting ourselves in the foot. Maybe some of these students will decide to stay in the United States instead and we might get some benefit from that, but it's no sure thing. 

I also think that it goes against the mood of the country. Folks are sick and tired immigration in any form, even if it's just for a student visa. Though China is hardly the biggest contributor to this at all, it still sends the wrong message, at least among Trump voters. Many of us would rather see a complete pause on all immigration. 

Regardless though, I'm a lot less concerned about 600,000 Chinese students than many of the South American and Indian immigrants. Chinese people tend to be well behaved in general and aren't likely to enter the country illegally and illegally get a drivers license and then kill people making an illegal u-turn. These other groups of immigrants concern me a lot more than anything these Chinese students could ever. If accepting a few hundred thousand Chinese students is the price we have to pay for getting rid of many of these illegal immigrants, than so be it. But it doesn't mean I have to like it.