"We're becoming a negative example," Lawrence Summers, former U.S. Treasury Secretary, 27th President of Harvard University and now President Emeritus, said during a May 23 interview, in which he openly criticized the Donald Trump administration's international admissions ban targeting the university.

One day earlier, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced that Harvard University's certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program had been revoked. As a result, as of the 2025–26 academic year, Harvard will no longer be permitted to admit new international students, and those currently enrolled must either transfer to another institution or leave the U.S. immediately.

International observers widely interpret these actions as attempts to suppress ideological opponents, reinforce loyalty among Trump's voter base, and simultaneously advance his goal of reducing government spending. Harvard, which chose to openly resist government interference, has since become a prominent target and a cautionary example.

In the current 2024–25 academic year, international students make up 27.2 percent of Harvard's student body, totaling approximately 6,800 individuals. Harvard's graduate schools, in particular, are heavily reliant on international enrollment: 56 percent of students at the Kennedy School are from abroad, as are 36 percent at the Business School. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Public Health also report international student shares exceeding 30 percent. International students can rightly be described as one of the main pillars supporting Harvard; without them—along with visiting scholars—the university's finances, academic research and global standing would all suffer significantly. 

The impact of this incident has gone far beyond the U.S. domestic affairs. With more than 1,300 Chinese nationals currently enrolled, Chinese students represent one of the largest international groups at Harvard. On May 23, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated at a regular press briefing that China has consistently opposed the politicization of educational cooperation. She emphasized that such actions by the U.S. would only damage its image and international credibility. "Educational cooperation between China and the U.S. is mutually beneficial," Mao said, adding that China will firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese students and scholars abroad.

If international students at Harvard are forced to leave, this will create a lose-lose scenario for all parties involved. The U.S. risks heading further down a path of self-imposed isolation, with the potential for a significant reduction in international student enrollment in the future. According to reports, on May 27, the Trump administration also suspended all new student visa interviews and is considering expanding social media censorship for international students. What is at stake is not merely the $43 billion in annual economic benefits brought by international students, but also—as Summers noted—America's national competitiveness and capacity for technological innovation.

China, however, is by no means a beneficiary of this policy either. According to the latest Blue Book on Employment of Chinese Overseas Returnees released by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange under the Ministry of Education, more than 8 million Chinese students studied abroad between 1978 and 2023, with approximately 82 percent choosing to return to China for employment. As one of the primary destinations for Chinese students, the U.S. has long served as a key partner in educational cooperation, a collaboration that has played a strategically important role in China's reform and opening-up process. Chinese students have not only contributed their intellect to America's progress but also applied the advanced knowledge and experience acquired in the U.S. to China's own development. More importantly, over the past four decades, the student exchange between the two countries has served as a vital bridge for mutual understanding and cooperation, playing an irreplaceable role in fostering stable and constructive bilateral relations.

Education should rise above ideology and serve as a ladder toward the shared progress of humanity. Yet in recent years, the U.S. Government has increasingly politicized academic cooperation. Washington has created a chilling effect—closing the door to Chinese students and placing educational exchange, once a stabilizing pillar of China–U.S. relations, in a precarious position. 

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

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