'Hard Refuge', Chinese Students Now Turn Their Brains To Survive After Trump Bans Foreign Students

JAKARTA - Chinese students at Harvard canceled their flight home on Friday and sought legal advice on how to stay in the United States after President Donald Trump's administration banned the famous university from accepting foreign students.

The Trump government is forcing foreign students at this time to move to another school or lose their legal status.

Harvard called the government's actions "violating the law" and said they were "full committed" to educating foreign students, of which Chinese nationals are the largest group in the elite University of the Ivy League in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

"I think the Chinese community clearly feels like a more targeted entity than other groups," said Zhang, a 24-year-old student who is currently studying his doctorate in physics.

"Some friends gave me suggestions that I should try not to stay in my current accommodation if things worsen, because they think it's possible Immigration and Customs agents can take you from your apartment," Zhang said, who did not give his first name for security reasons. reported by Reuters, Friday, May 23.

Zhang said many Chinese students at Harvard were worried about their visa status and internship prospects, although others believed the school was likely to win any legal battle.

China's international number of students in the United States has fallen to around 277,000 by 2024 from the highest number of around 370.000 in 2019.

This is partly driven by the increasing tension between the world's two largest economies and the increasing scrutiny of the US government over several Chinese students.

Chinese citizens are one-fifth of Harvard's foreign student admissions by 2024, the university said.

"Our lecturer has sent us an email saying schools are actively working hard to provide responses in the next 72 hours and intend to negotiate with the government," saidLA, a Chinese graduate student at Harvard Kennedy School.

His post on Friday on the Instagram-like Xiaohongshu platform was titled "Harthware Refuge".

Meanwhile, the Chinese government reacted to Trump's decision.

"The US action is considered to only damage the image and international credibility of the United States", the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Chinai has promised to protect the legitimate rights and interests of its students abroad.

Several Chinese "bangswans", known as the elite children of the ruling Communist Party, have been studying at Harvard for the past two decades, including President Xi Jinping's daughter Xi Mingze.

However, in recent years, Xi's anti-corruption campaign has stepped up oversight of Communist Party officials and their family ties to Western countries, including assets held overseas and children studying at prestigious US universities.