Caught Between Washington and Beijing, Chinese Students Face a Hard Choice

U.S. visa crackdowns and Beijing surveillance turn study abroad into a high-stakes test for China’s youth.

The campus of Purdue University before the football game against the Illinois Fighting Illini in West Lafayette, Ind. on Sept. 30, 2023. Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Analysis

The newest front in the U.S.–China rivalry is unfolding on American campuses. Chinese students—once viewed as bridges between the two nations—are now urged, and sometimes forced, to pick a side.