当地时间2020年6月5日,密歇根大学工业与运营工程系教授布莱恩·丹顿(Brian Denton)在《国会山报》发表题为《特朗普对中国留学生的禁令将使美国企业、大学和创新力窒息》的文章。文章尖锐指出,阻挡中国学生赴美求学,将大大损害美国企业和大学的利益,这对美国自身而言可谓是有百害而无一利。
U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration order to restrict Chinese students and scholars would "stifle American companies, universities and innovation," Brian Denton, a professor and the chair of the Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan, has warned.
American news website The Hill – a Washington DC-based outlet focusing on politics, policy, business and international relations – published an opinion piece penned by Denton on Friday.
当地时间2020年5月29日,美国白宫政府网站发布公告称,2020年6月1日起将禁止部分中国留学生和研究人员入境。公告称,这些人员想通过F签证或J签证进入美国求学或进行研究,将对美国不利,其入境应受到限制。
丹顿教授在文章开头便指出,中国留学生在学术研究上的贡献功不可没,这对美国大学来说是受益匪浅的。这份公告无疑将会威胁这种互利共赢的局面,打破中国学生和美国大学之前在学术上合作并进的友好关系。
数据显示,仅在2017-2018年,中国留学生就为美国经济贡献了130亿美元,很多高校已经对中国留学生的全额学费产生依赖。此次公告发出后,相关经济势必将受到影响。
Denton first pointed out that the new restrictions for Chinese students and scholars "threatens to cut off American universities from the valuable contributions that Chinese students make to our scholarly pursuits, and to jeopardize the $13 billion that they contribute to the United States economy each year."
丹顿教授进一步指出,对中国留学生的禁令还可能将扼杀STEM(注:科学、技术、工程和数学类)人才的流动,而STEM人才对美国大学和一些高科技企业——如亚马逊、苹果、福特和IBM等至关重要。
"By suspending entry of certain students and researchers from the People's Republic of China, the White House is also stifling a flow of STEM talent that is critical to the success of American universities, as well as to companies like Amazon, Apple, Ford and IBM," the professor added.
Noting that "much remains to be understood about how this will affect the more than 350,000 Chinese students enrolled in American universities," he stressed the order has the potential to cause severe consequences for institutes of higher education and the economic security of the U.S., specifically pertaining to the "F" and "J" type visas that allow people to visit the country for the purposes of learning and conducting scientific research.
“我很高兴有机会与来自世界各地的学生一起学习和工作,其中包括许多来自中国的学生”,丹顿教授在文章中说。他表示,像其他所有优秀的大学一样,密歇根大学每年都会从世界各地寻找顶尖的年轻人才,并邀请他们加入学校的各种研究项目。
留学生们在科研实验室里与美国的科学家们一起工作,他们用所学到的知识推进学术发展,并在各项领域不断取得新的成果,对美国的商业、能源、通信和医疗保健等领域均产生了积极的影响。
Citing his own experience of teaching and working alongside students from all over the world, including many from China, in the field of industrial engineering, Denton spoke highly of the young talents' academic performances and contributions that "positively impact fields like business, energy, mobility and health care."
此外,“这些留学生的学费也是各所大学重要的收入来源”,丹顿教授说,“而这些学费也将帮助像我们这样的大学完成教学和课题研究工作。”
He said that in addition to research advances and teaching assistance, many of these students also contribute to the financial viability of higher education in the nation, noting that "their tuition payments provide a valuable revenue stream that helps universities like ours deliver on our research and educational missions, in pursuit of the public good."
Hurting America more than China
丹顿教授并不是第一位站出来控诉该项签证禁令的人。
事实上,针对中国留学生的禁令一出,美国社会就响起一片质疑和反对之声。
On May 29, Trump signed a presidential proclamation that suspends the entry of graduate students and researchers from China. It went into effect on June 1.
The sweeping proclamation has come under criticism as many reckoned that it would economically hurt U.S. universities, with some critics indicating that it is more likely to harm efforts in America to innovate and produce important research.
当地时间6月1日0时3分,公告刚刚生效,美国《福布斯》杂志网站就“掐点”发布了对美国国务院签证办公室法律咨询意见科前主任杰弗里·戈尔斯基(Jeffrey Gorsky)的专访。
戈尔斯基表示,“这一公告将破坏知识和人才的交流。中国照样有办法发展尖端科技,而美国将失去宝贵的人才库,失去这些中国学生为美国大学和美国社会作出的经济上的和科学上的贡献。”
"The proclamation will damage the exchange of knowledge and talent," said Jeffrey Gorsky, former chief of the Legal Advisory Opinion section of the Visa Office in the U.S. Department of State, in an interview with Forbes on June 1.
"America will lose out on a valuable talent pool and the financial and scientific contributions these students make to U.S. universities and the United States," Gorsky added.
Fueling anti-Asian sentiment
除此之外,也有人担心,自疫情发生以来,特朗普政府针对中国留学生的种种政策和言论将使在美华人遭受歧视。
美国亚裔维权组织“亚裔推进正义协会”(Asian Americans Advancing Justice)曾在一份声明中表示,“对中国留学生的签证禁令无非是另一种找替罪羊的方式罢了”,而这最终只会适得其反。
There are also concerns that the Trump administration's decisions and the president's rhetoric about Chinese students will create discrimination against the Chinese community in the United States, which has seen an increase of anti-Asian sentiment during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice lashed out at Trump's actions in a joint statement with affiliates in Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta and Chicago, saying: "This ban on Chinese students from studying in the U.S. is another way to scapegoat our communities, just as he has with the Muslim, African, refugee, and immigration bans."
出处:头条号 @CGTN