{"id":2272167,"date":"2024-06-20T03:45:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T07:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-the-stabbing-of-four-americans-finally-make-the-u-s-rethink-exchange-programs-with-china\/"},"modified":"2024-06-20T03:55:37","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T07:55:37","slug":"will-the-stabbing-of-four-americans-finally-make-the-u-s-rethink-exchange-programs-with-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-the-stabbing-of-four-americans-finally-make-the-u-s-rethink-exchange-programs-with-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Will the Stabbing of Four Americans Prompt U.S. to Reevaluate Exchange Programs with China?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwill-the-stabbing-of-four-americans-finally-make-the-u-s-rethink-exchange-programs-with-china%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2272167&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>During the U.S.-China summit in San\u200c Francisco, CCP leader Xi Jinping announced a plan to invite\u200d 50,000 young Americans to China for\u200d study exchange programs over five years. However, concerns over safety for Americans in China were highlighted following an incident where four U.S. \u200ccollege instructors \u2063were stabbed in Jilin, China. This attack, and \u2063the Chinese government&#8217;s suppression of details and assurance that it was an \u200cisolated incident, underscore broader tensions.<\/p>\n<p>The article discusses \u200da rise in nationalism\u200b and anti-foreign sentiment in China, exacerbated by the CCP&#8217;s anti-espionage campaigns that present foreigners as potential threats. This attitude\u200c has escalated tensions, with instances such as a Chinese citizen attacking an Israeli embassy worker in\u2062 Beijing.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the Chinese government&#8217;s arbitrary use of &#8220;exit bans,&#8221; detentions, and control over the narrative that visiting foreigners receive raises concerns\u2064 about the real intentions behind the CCP\u2019s invitation to\u2063 American students. These actions, combined with the historical context of the CCP using cultural \u2064and \u200deducational exchanges to influence\u200c foreign policy perspectives,\u200b highlight potential risks and ulterior motives behind inviting American students \u200dto \u2063China. The suggestion is that \u200cthese efforts are \u2064part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/british-foreign-minister-we-will-maximize-every-last-second-on-getting-the-remainder-of-citizens-out-of-afghanistan\/\" title=\"British Foreign Minister: We will maximize every last second on getting the remainder of citizens out of Afghanistan\">long-term strategy<\/a> to seed favorable views of China \u200bamong \u2063future American leaders.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>Last November, during the U.S.-China summit in San Francisco, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping <a href=\"https:\/\/english.news.cn\/20231116\/a6aad82a604e4b23af0586684be41f0a\/c.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> a plan to invite 50,000 young Americans to exchange programs to study in China over the next five years. But any Americans considering taking up Xi\u2019s offer may want to think again after four instructors from a U.S. college were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/china\/four-iowa-college-instructorsstabbedin-china-c0991a98?mod=china_news_article_pos4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stabbed<\/a> in broad daylight in China last week.<\/p>\n<p>The four instructors, including three U.S. citizens, are affiliated with Cornell College in Iowa (not Cornell University in New York). They are teaching at Beihua University in Jilin, a northeastern city in China, through an exchange program funded by Beihua. According to Jilin\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/06\/10\/asia\/china-4-us-cornell-college-instructors-attacked\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">police report<\/a>, on the morning of June 11, the four instructors were walking in a popular public park when a 55-year-old local man, Cui, \u201ccollided\u201d with one of the instructors. Cui started stabbing the instructors and a Chinese citizen who tried to stop him. Police apprehended Cui quickly. All five victims were rushed to a local hospital. Fortunately, no one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rogan-rips-seattle-a-third-world-country-about-to-implode\/\" title=\"Rogan Rips Seattle: \u2018A Third World Country About To Implode\u2019\">suffered life-threatening injuries<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-2036100128\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-5faae91b093e6dacdc956fcf94528529 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-5faae91b093e6dacdc956fcf94528529\"><\/div>\n<p>Chinese police didn\u2019t publicly share Cui\u2019s motive for such a vicious attack. Chinese government censors quickly took down any images related to the stabbing incident and <a href=\"https:\/\/hoover.us1.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=de744b88c98cf7f8a268b1808&#038;id=b8f1f40282&#038;e=b46b6bf432\">suppressed<\/a> related news reports and online discussions. China\u2019s foreign ministry spokesman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/china\/four-iowa-college-instructorsstabbedin-china-c0991a98?mod=china_news_article_pos4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">insisted<\/a> the whole thing was an \u201cisolated incident\u201d and \u201cChina is widely regarded as one of the safest countries in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">CCP Provoking Hostility Toward Foreigners<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s true that average Chinese citizens\u2019 violence against foreigners has been sporadic in China. Most foreigners I know who traveled to China said the best part of their visits has always been the friendliness and hospitality of the Chinese people. However, it\u2019s disheartening to note that some Chinese citizens\u2019 welcoming attitude toward foreigners has turned into hostility due to the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s campaign against foreign espionage.<\/p>\n<p>Nationalism has been on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.economist.com\/special-report\/2021\/01\/21\/how-nationalism-is-shaping-chinas-young\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rise since<\/a> Xi became the head of the CCP. His paranoia over what he perceives as foreign infiltration into China led him to launch a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/johnny-depp-begins-comeback-as-new-movie-jeanne-du-barry-teases-first-look-at-actor-as-louis-xv\/\" title=\"Johnny Depp Begins Comeback As New Movie \"Jeanne Du Barry\" Teases First Look At Actor As Louis XV\">multi-year campaign<\/a> against foreign espionage in the name of national security.<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, China began offering <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2022\/06\/08\/china\/china-foreign-spies-national-security-cash-reward-hotline-intl-hnk\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cash rewards<\/a> of around 100,000 yuan ($15,000) for tips about individuals who endanger national security. In 2023, Xi expanded China\u2019s counterespionage law, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/08\/02\/china\/china-security-ministry-on-wechat-intl-hnk\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">insisting<\/a> that \u201cnews outlets, broadcasters, television stations, the culture sector, and internet providers should also take part in anti-espionage education.\u201d Since then, Chinese citizens have been warned by their government repeatedly that all foreigners might be spies.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-84bc0f5aef24f962dc7ad8755537245f fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-84bc0f5aef24f962dc7ad8755537245f\"><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Increased Discrimination<\/h2>\n<p>In 2024, China\u2019s spy agency, the Ministry of State Security (MSS), opened a public account on WeChat<em>,<\/em> a popular messaging app with nearly 1 billion users, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/08\/02\/china\/china-security-ministry-on-wechat-intl-hnk\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">urging<\/a> \u201call members of society to join its fight against espionage, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/assassination-attempt-baltimore-police-officer-shot-in-cold-blood-clinging-to-life\/\" title=\"\u2018Assassination Attempt\u2019: Baltimore Police Officer Shot In Cold Blood, Clinging To Life\">offering rewards<\/a> and protection for those who provide information.\u201d One of its WeChat posts was titled, \u201cHunting for beauty? You may become the prey,\u201d and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-china-68078152\">warned<\/a> Chinese citizens about \u201cexotic beauties,\u201d or \u201choney traps.\u201d These much-hyped campaigns have led to increased suspicion of foreigners by some Chinese businesses and citizens.<\/p>\n<p>For example, a Chinese hotel <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BaldingsWorld\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly<\/a> declined to accommodate foreign guests because the Chinese government fines any hotel up to $15,000 if the hotel accidentally enters the foreign guest\u2019s identification information wrong in its system. Last October, a Chinese citizen answered Hamas\u2019 call to attack Jews on the \u201cday of rage\u201d by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/israeli-diplomat-repeatedly-stabbed-by-assailant-in-beijing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stabbing<\/a> an Israeli embassy worker in Beijing.<\/p>\n<p>After the foreign instructors were stabbed last week, retired Gen. Robert Spalding, a longtime China critic, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robert_spalding\/status\/1800522897561354501\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">posted on X.com<\/a>, \u201cThis is what happens when you tell the Chinese people all Americans are spies.\u201d Another China expert warned on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BaldingsWorld\/status\/1800570142432117035\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">X.com<\/a>, \u201cIt would be a big mistake to just consider this a one-off event for Americans,\u201d but rather it is \u201ca manifestation of rabid officially sanctioned anti-foreigner racial superiority propaganda. This isn\u2019t just a one-off but official policy.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chinese Government\u2019s Threat<\/h2>\n<p>Still, for any Americans or American organizations considering participating in any exchange programs in China, the biggest threat to their safety comes from the Chinese government. Chinese authorities have increasingly <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/07\/18\/china-is-too-risky-for-americans-and-american-businesses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">targeted foreign companies<\/a> and businesspeople with raids, investigations, and detentions. The Chinese authorities have been applying \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/china\/chinas-exit-bans-multiply-political-control-tightens-under-xi-2023-05-02\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">exit bans<\/a>\u201d arbitrarily to prevent some foreigners, including those who have committed no wrongdoing, from leaving China. John Feng, Asia editor of Newsweek<em>, <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/china-us-citizens-wrongful-detention-kai-li-david-lin-henry-cai-1778415\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">estimated<\/a> that more than 200 U.S. citizens remain \u201cwrongfully detained\u201d in China as of November 2023 and, \u201cSome were persecuted on suspected religious grounds; others are the likely victims of geopolitics. All are at the mercy of\u00a0China\u2019s opaque criminal justice system, often with no recourse to legal assistance and little contact with home.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f63714d658601f2ed2b1eec0f31afd04 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f63714d658601f2ed2b1eec0f31afd04\"><\/div>\n<p>Besides concerns for personal safety, Americans and American organizations interested in attending exchange programs in China should be clear-eyed about the CCP\u2019s real motives. Had the CCP really been interested in enhancing cultural and political understanding with the West, China would not <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2020\/02\/24\/chinas-expulsion-of-wsj-reporters-is-retaliation-for-the-u-s-telling-the-truth-about-state-owned-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">have expelled several American journalists<\/a> from three prominent U.S. media organizations during the early days of the Covid pandemic outbreak in 2020, when timely and truthful reporting could have saved lives.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Real Motives<\/h2>\n<p>The CCP\u2019s motives for setting up and paying for these cultural and educational exchange programs for young Americans are twofold. First, it has long been the CCP\u2019s standard practice to shape public opinions and policies favorable to China\u2019s interests through cultivating relationships with foreigners, such as former Secretary of State <a href=\"https:\/\/helenraleigh.substack.com\/p\/henry-kissingers-complicated-legacy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Henry Kissinger<\/a>. The Chinese government showers these foreigners with lavish trips and gifts. Once inside China, they become a captive audience. The party tightly controls what these foreigners see and the people they interact with to ensure they bring home party-sanctioned narratives to influence others and policies.<\/p>\n<p>The number of American university students in China has fallen 95 percent from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/americans-encounter-hurdles-to-studying-in-china-even-as-covid-restrictions-ease-af5955f8?mod=article_inline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">15,000<\/a> at its peak a decade ago to only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/china\/four-iowa-college-instructorsstabbedin-china-c0991a98?mod=china_news_article_pos4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">700<\/a> as of last year. Why does Xi want to see more young Americans in China, even amid his anti-foreign espionage campaign? The CCP considers influencing American youths to be a rewarding long-term investment, as many of them are the future leaders of America. Jeanette Tong and Jianli Yang at Citizen Power Initiatives for China <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/chinas-new-propaganda-strategy-aims-american-youth-opinion-1847634\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pointed out<\/a> that Beijing \u201cwants to sow seeds in young minds, shaping their future perceptions of authoritarian regimes and molding their worldview.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The CCP also seeks to flip some American youth into gathering intelligence on behalf of China when they return home. This is not fearmongering. Last September, U.K. police <a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/9951938\/china-uk-spy-threat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">arrested<\/a> Chris Cash, a 28-year-old British citizen, and a U.K. Parliament researcher, for allegedly spying for China.\u00a0Cash <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/article\/chris-cash-china-spy-suspect-arrest-name-kgmgrzvl8\">reportedly<\/a> had studied and worked in China and was recruited as a \u201csleeper\u201d agent during his stay in China, tasked with infiltrating the U.K.\u2019s political networks critical of the Beijing regime. Something similar may happen to a young American who studies in China, too. Tong and Yang <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/chinas-new-propaganda-strategy-aims-american-youth-opinion-1847634\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">warned<\/a><em>, <\/em>\u201cusing Americans against America, creating internal chaos in the United States, is the CCP\u2019s most cost-effective and efficient weapon against its adversaries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Under normal circumstances, studying abroad or participating in cultural exchange in another country enriches young people\u2019s lives. However, these are not normal circumstances. The United States and China are currently embroiled in a fierce strategic competition \u2014 economically, militarily, and ideologically. The possibility of a direct military conflict, particularly if China were to invade Taiwan, is a stark reality. Given this context, Americans and American organizations must seriously reconsider the potential risks of participating in Xi\u2019s all-expenses-paid exchange programs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-de51b8c5fb93bc5ee6b75d6d0f51e7bf fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-de51b8c5fb93bc5ee6b75d6d0f51e7bf\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last November at the U.S.-China summit in San Francisco, CCP leader Xi Jinping proposed inviting 50,000 young Americans to study in China over five years. However, following the experiences of four U.S. instructors, potential participants should carefully reconsider accepting Xi&#8217;s offer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":536,"featured_media":2272168,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2048px-North_gate_of_China_University_of_Petroleum_Beijing_20210823161150-e1718821305192.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2272167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2048px-North_gate_of_China_University_of_Petroleum_Beijing_20210823161150-e1718821305192.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2272167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/536"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2272167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2272167\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2272168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2272167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2272167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2272167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}