Wall Street Journal: US Luster Fades, Chinese Elites Less Willing to Stay in US
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Chinese elites who have long aspired to study and live in the US are increasingly choosing to return to China. This trend is driven by stricter US immigration policies, concerns about public safety, and exaggerated propaganda from Chinese state media. The report highlights individuals like Yuner Jiang from Columbia University and Sissi Su from Johns Hopkins University who have opted to return.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 21, 2026 at 14:10
- 🔍 Collected: April 21, 2026 at 14:31 (21 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 22, 2026 at 00:49 (10h 17m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Taipei, 21st) The Wall Street Journal reported that for decades, many Chinese people have aspired to study at top universities in the United States and then live there. However, in recent years, due to stricter US immigration thresholds, many Chinese people are concerned about public safety in the US, coupled with exaggerated propaganda from Chinese official media, leading many Chinese elites to choose to return to China for development.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the 20th that Yuner Jiang is one such elite who, after studying in the US for many years, ultimately chose to return to China. Yuner Jiang went to the US ten years ago for high school and is now about to graduate with a master's degree from the prestigious Columbia University in the United States.
Yuner Jiang said that the cost of living in New York is high, and her experience of being harassed on the subway as an Asian woman disappointed her. Returning to work in China is a very attractive option; although the salary is much lower than in the US, the ratio of prices to income in China is much better than in the US.
Another Chinese elite, Sissi Su, completed her master's degree in International Relations at the renowned Johns Hopkins University in the US in 2024. She recently abandoned her lifelong plan to settle in the US and returned to China to find a job.
Sissi Su said that she originally found a job in public relations and event planning at a non-profit organization in the US, but as the US government continuously adjusted its immigration policies, more and more international friends and classmates around her successively returned to China. She eventually decided to join this wave of returning home. Although she felt sad, she also felt a sense of "relief."
According to the report, data collected by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2017 showed that among foreign graduates with science and technology doctorates, Chinese people were the least likely to leave the US.
However, by 2020, this situation changed. That year, the pandemic broke out, and the US government accused multiple China-born scientists of espionage, although many of these accusations were ultimately unfounded. A survey released by the Asian American Scholar Forum showed that in 2021, over 1,400 US-trained Chinese scientists left the US for China, an annual increase of 22%.
The latest survey by the US National Science Foundation shows that in 2024, nearly 80% of China-born PhD graduates still choose to stay in the US. However, many prominent scientists, attracted by generous funding, top laboratories, a stable social environment, and a high standard of living in China, have decided to return to work in China.
The report also stated that in recent years, Chinese official media have exaggerated propaganda about public safety issues in the US, or how unemployment or illness could quickly lead to difficulties, influencing the decisions of many Chinese people. (Editors: Chen Kai-yu / Zhu Jian-ling) 1150421
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(Central News Agency, Taipei, 21st) The Wall Street Journal reported that for decades, many Chinese people have aspired to study at top universities in the United States and then live there. However, in recent years, due to stricter US immigration thresholds, many Chinese people are concerned about public safety in the US, coupled with exaggerated propaganda from Chinese official media, leading many Chinese elites to choose to return to China for development.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the 20th that Yuner Jiang is one such elite who, after studying in the US for many years, ultimately chose to return to China. Yuner Jiang went to the US ten years ago for high school and is now about to graduate with a master's degree from the prestigious Columbia University in the United States.
Yuner Jiang said that the cost of living in New York is high, and her experience of being harassed on the subway as an Asian woman disappointed her. Returning to work in China is a very attractive option; although the salary is much lower than in the US, the ratio of prices to income in China is much better than in the US.
Another Chinese elite, Sissi Su, completed her master's degree in International Relations at the renowned Johns Hopkins University in the US in 2024. She recently abandoned her lifelong plan to settle in the US and returned to China to find a job.
Sissi Su said that she originally found a job in public relations and event planning at a non-profit organization in the US, but as the US government continuously adjusted its immigration policies, more and more international friends and classmates around her successively returned to China. She eventually decided to join this wave of returning home. Although she felt sad, she also felt a sense of "relief."
According to the report, data collected by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2017 showed that among foreign graduates with science and technology doctorates, Chinese people were the least likely to leave the US.
However, by 2020, this situation changed. That year, the pandemic broke out, and the US government accused multiple China-born scientists of espionage, although many of these accusations were ultimately unfounded. A survey released by the Asian American Scholar Forum showed that in 2021, over 1,400 US-trained Chinese scientists left the US for China, an annual increase of 22%.
The latest survey by the US National Science Foundation shows that in 2024, nearly 80% of China-born PhD graduates still choose to stay in the US. However, many prominent scientists, attracted by generous funding, top laboratories, a stable social environment, and a high standard of living in China, have decided to return to work in China.
The report also stated that in recent years, Chinese official media have exaggerated propaganda about public safety issues in the US, or how unemployment or illness could quickly lead to difficulties, influencing the decisions of many Chinese people. (Editors: Chen Kai-yu / Zhu Jian-ling) 1150421
Choose to stand with facts; every sponsorship you provide is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.