The nature of scholar-to-scholar exchange between Chinese and American academics and students has evolved over the years. But as bilateral relations between China and the U.S. continue to deteriorate, it’s important to consider thoughts from past Chinese scholars who spent time in the U.S. And if we want to experience any kind of diplomatic breakthrough, we must remember that we’re often blinded by what our own society deems as right.

U.S. and Chinese officials have grown accustomed to barbed exchanges in the public forum. It would seem that the minds of the two nations are diverging to opposing extremes. While a U.S.-China schism is undeniable, the world of academia is operating at a different wavelength than their government counterparts.

Not all conflict can be avoided through better understanding, but promoting cultural exchange is a great place to start mending relations. And as China-U.S. relations spiral, promoting study abroad opportunities, many seeking to return to normal after the pandemic, is perhaps more important than ever before.

China’s younger generations have seen their country prosper and grow stronger for nearly their entire lives, cultivating a sense of pride and identity unique from their older counterparts. Now, as the United States has begun to openly challenge China’s rise, attitudes toward America are being eroded.

Scholars and students have been caught in the crossfire as the Sino-American relationship takes a turn for the worse.

The U.S. is suffering the world’s worst COVID-19 outbreak among countries of its relative wealth, and many citizens - including presidential candidates Trump and Biden - are pointing fingers at China. The climate of xenophobia and discrimination has put the Asian American demographic at risk physically, and economically.

The White House’s attempt to bar many foreign students from returning to the US to continue their studies threatens to damage America’s reputation for educational tolerance and intellectual inquiry – not to mention the fact that it may well turn foreign students against the US.

Of the many efforts the United States has made to decouple with China, its moves to prohibit cultural exchanges, including advanced studies, are least likely to work and undermine a key stabilizer in relations.

The U.S.-China relationship is undoubtedly weakening. Bridging the educational endeavors of the two nations may pave the pathway to more harmonious Sino-American relations.