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Chinese students spend billions overseas. Coronavirus travel bans will leave some countries seriously out of pocket
By Julia Hollingsworth, CNN
Updated 7:52 PM ET, Sat February 15, 2020
(CNN)If it weren't for the novel coronavirus outbreak, Xu Mingxi would have been in class at a prestigious New York university this week.
Instead, the 22-year-old has spent the past three weeks confined to his family's apartment in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak, which is currently on lockdown to prevent the virus spreading.
But even if Xu could leave home, the United States -- where he's studied for the past four-and-a-half years -- won't let him in.
Over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) away in Beijing, Alex -- who asked not to use her real name for fear of online retribution -- is in a similar situation. She's spent the past two weeks at home with her mom and grandpa, being delivered groceries by community leaders. She's worried she won't be able to fly to Sydney to study later this month and may have to delay her law degree by a semester.
As novel coronavirus spreads, over 60 countries have imposed travel restrictions on Chinese citizens, hoping to limit their exposure to the virus that has killed more than 1,600 people, almost all in mainland China, and infected over 68,000 worldwide. Both Australia and the US have put temporary bans on foreign nationals who visited China in the 14 days prior to their arrival.
That has locked Xu and Alex out of their studies -- and they are by no means alone.
In 2017, an estimated 900,000 Chinese tertiary students studied abroad. Around half of those went to either the United States or Australia, contributing billions of dollars to their economies -- money that those countries now stand to lose.
It is not clear how many of the 360,000 Chinese students studying in the US were outside the country when the US travel ban hit on January 31, shortly before many universities were due to resume. But when Australia imposed its restrictions at the start of February, authorities estimated that 56% of Chinese students -- about 106,680 people -- were still abroad. Term was due to begin in late February or early March.
"For Australia, it couldn't have come at a worse time. It's exactly the time of the year in which people are coming from China to Australia," said Andrew Norton, a professor in the practice of higher education policy at the Australian National University. The virus outbreak coincided with the Lunar New Year -- the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar, when many students go home to see their family.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/15/asia/chinese-students-universities-intl-hnk/index.html
By Julia Hollingsworth, CNN
Updated 7:52 PM ET, Sat February 15, 2020
(CNN)If it weren't for the novel coronavirus outbreak, Xu Mingxi would have been in class at a prestigious New York university this week.
Instead, the 22-year-old has spent the past three weeks confined to his family's apartment in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak, which is currently on lockdown to prevent the virus spreading.
But even if Xu could leave home, the United States -- where he's studied for the past four-and-a-half years -- won't let him in.
Over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) away in Beijing, Alex -- who asked not to use her real name for fear of online retribution -- is in a similar situation. She's spent the past two weeks at home with her mom and grandpa, being delivered groceries by community leaders. She's worried she won't be able to fly to Sydney to study later this month and may have to delay her law degree by a semester.
As novel coronavirus spreads, over 60 countries have imposed travel restrictions on Chinese citizens, hoping to limit their exposure to the virus that has killed more than 1,600 people, almost all in mainland China, and infected over 68,000 worldwide. Both Australia and the US have put temporary bans on foreign nationals who visited China in the 14 days prior to their arrival.
That has locked Xu and Alex out of their studies -- and they are by no means alone.
In 2017, an estimated 900,000 Chinese tertiary students studied abroad. Around half of those went to either the United States or Australia, contributing billions of dollars to their economies -- money that those countries now stand to lose.
It is not clear how many of the 360,000 Chinese students studying in the US were outside the country when the US travel ban hit on January 31, shortly before many universities were due to resume. But when Australia imposed its restrictions at the start of February, authorities estimated that 56% of Chinese students -- about 106,680 people -- were still abroad. Term was due to begin in late February or early March.
"For Australia, it couldn't have come at a worse time. It's exactly the time of the year in which people are coming from China to Australia," said Andrew Norton, a professor in the practice of higher education policy at the Australian National University. The virus outbreak coincided with the Lunar New Year -- the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar, when many students go home to see their family.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/15/asia/chinese-students-universities-intl-hnk/index.html
