Anonymous wrote:The amount of ignorance on this board is appalling. I guess most people here has never been outside of their comfort zone and have no idea what the outside world looks like. To OP, China is fine and safe for 99.9% of Americans. Unless you work in defense or have a close relative who's a corrupt Chinese official, there is nothing to worry about while traveling. I just came back from a travel around Asia, China included. Taiwan is nice too, but totally different from China.

I work in defense and so do almost 200k of my closest friends. With very limited exceptions, we don't go. I think your 99.9% is a bit off.

Anonymous wrote:Wow I'm really surprised by the reactions here although maybe I shouldn't be. Some of the reactions don't sound terribly well informed about China and are borderline racist.

My DS is a Chinese major and planning to go to Shanghai in the fall for a semester. We've talked to a lot of people, including senior USG officials, and I don't see a basis for all the hysteria here. Yes, it's an authoritarian state, but so are many countries where students go (outside of Europe obv.) My kid is interested in understanding the country, he's not going to party or to engage in activism. We recognize that he'll need throwaway electronics and will likely be unable to access Western social media platforms while he's there.

Taiwan is an option of course - and not a bad one. But there are some differences in the language and it doesn't give you first hand understanding of China today. Some people have described Taiwan as having preserved "real" Chinese culture, whereas China today is very much shaped by the CCP unfortunately. But it's a huge factor in the world, in the global economy, etc.

There are something like 300k Chinese students in the US but only 700 American students in China. That's not especially good for us.

I am sorry, but your "senior USG officials" are full of crap or hate their kids and don't care if they come back.

I had a military spouse colleague whose manager was insistent he go on a business trip to Shanghai - risking demotion and possible firing if he refused. His spouse ultimately got her security group to step in with a sternly worded email to the manager describing in some pretty bleak language why her DH was refusing.

Anonymous wrote:The amount of ignorance on this board is appalling. I guess most people here has never been outside of their comfort zone and have no idea what the outside world looks like. To OP, China is fine and safe for 99.9% of Americans. Unless you work in defense or have a close relative who's a corrupt Chinese official, there is nothing to worry about while traveling. I just came back from a travel around Asia, China included. Taiwan is nice too, but totally different from China.

Well I have friends who are US citizens and previously, Chinese nationals. When they travelled back there to visit family they were warned that healthy babies and toddlers were being stolen and they believed it. I think they kept their then 2 yr old strapped to their back whenever traveling. So that's a risk, and a real one, though probably not for an adult student traveller.

The amount of ignorance on this board is appalling. I guess most people here has never been outside of their comfort zone and have no idea what the outside world looks like. To OP, China is fine and safe for 99.9% of Americans. Unless you work in defense or have a close relative who's a corrupt Chinese official, there is nothing to worry about while traveling. I just came back from a travel around Asia, China included. Taiwan is nice too, but totally different from China.

I know a grad student who was just there. They were fine but…not sure what that says.

Anonymous wrote:State Department has it at a Level 3 due to arbitrariness of government denying exits. My bigger fear would be another COVID type lockdown. How would you advise your child?

Nephew spent a year, no problem. Just send them with a new phone, and a new chrome book - expect that any data on any piece of technology will be shared/taken by the Chinese Govt.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's nothing "borderline" about many of these ignorant posts.

Can you please point out which posts you find ignorant or racist?

A mind suffering from woke derangement syndrome seeks and finds racism everywhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It could limit their opportunities post college because some study programs in China are used to recruit spies. Companies might not want to take the risk.

Do you know how much money US companies have invested in China? Some of the concerns here are just nuts. And it must be same person from my thread a few months ago who keeps bringing up Otto Warmbier, which of course happened in North Korea, not China. Look at a map please.

Yes, and I work for one. Keeping operations as separate as possible and de-risking is the name of the game now.

No, would not do it. Try Camp Midd for the summer instead.

I don’t have much China knowledge but studied abroad in Russia in the 90s. American kids really need to be schooled on what it means to live in an authoritarian country. There was a kid on another study program that was writing a paper on something (maybe the Russian black market?) and was thrown out a window. His family was told he jumped but all of the American students at the time throught he was pretty clearly thrown. (And I thought of that story each time a Russian oligarch or political operative accidentally fell out a window over the past few years)
knew a kid that was beaten senseless by a military guy he spoke to disrespectfully. In retrospect, I did not take it nearly seriously enough. I got detained once for questioning and was threatened by someone that was trying to extort a bribe that she would call the police on me if I didn’t pay her the bribe she wanted. As a 20 year old American kid, I really just did not have the experience/respurces to handle myself in that environment. I was like “you can’t say that to me!” When of course she could.
So I’d really make sure he understands what a dictatorship means, not just on an academic/theoretical level, but on what the mindset of people who live under a dictatorship is. It’s just totally different way of approaching things in order to be safe.

Anonymous wrote:It could limit their opportunities post college because some study programs in China are used to recruit spies. Companies might not want to take the risk.

Do you know how much money US companies have invested in China? Some of the concerns here are just nuts. And it must be same person from my thread a few months ago who keeps bringing up Otto Warmbier, which of course happened in North Korea, not China. Look at a map please.

It could limit their opportunities post college because some study programs in China are used to recruit spies. Companies might not want to take the risk.