CSP Senior Fellow, Grant Newsham, quoted in The Washington Times article about Beijing’s plans for American students

CSP Senior Fellow, Grant Newsham, quoted in The Washington Times article authored by Bill Gertz.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is targeting American youth with an announced plan to bring 100,000 U.S. students to study in China.

Security and academic experts say extreme surveillance and controls on foreigners, threats of intelligence recruitment, and poor-quality universities there are unlikely to attract the tens of thousands of Americans the Chinese leader seeks.

“The hope of the China-U.S. relationship lies in our people, and its future lies with the young,” Mr. Xi said during his White House visit on Sept. 24.

The Chinese Communist Party general secretary then announced the invitation for 100,000 “young Americans” to visit China for exchanges and study over the next five years.

The initiative offers paid resident study at universities in China after thousands of Americans fled the communist state during draconian government lockdowns and severe restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2020.

The Chinese plan also calls for hosting short-term visits and cultural exchanges paid for by the government.

Critics say the student plan is a strategic influence operation by targeting young Americans and students while opening up young people to Beijing’s intelligence services for aggressive spotting and recruitment of potential future government officials or academics with access to secrets or advanced technology.

Read more HERE.