Maxwell School News and Commentary

"A large majority of Chinese students [are] coming to study in the U.S. not for political reasons," says Yingyi Ma, associate professor of sociology. "What they really want is quality education opportunities, so that they can improve their career prospects, or they can broaden their horizons and really enjoy being in the process of cultivating their global citizenship."

"[National security] definitions are a game that all governments play. Pay attention instead to how governments treat their citizens," says William C. Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs.

"Attracting GSCs to India is actually very hard work, without having any attractive catchphrase. There is no strategy other than considerable additional investment and effort into infrastructure and skill-building, tackling power bottlenecks, reforms in labour and land regulations and keeping protectionist forces at bay," writes Devashish Mitra, professor of economics and Gerald B. and Daphna Cramer Professor of Global Affairs.

"Walking away from situations that challenge U.S. interests, as Trump has done with Hong Kong, only to hide behind a wall of ever higher barriers, will only serve to leave China unchecked and America increasingly alone," writes Professor Mary Lovely.

Those of an older generation, whether in China or the U.S., generally prefer to circumvent discussion of politics and socioeconomic issues, says Yingyi Ma, associate professor of sociology. "They have memories of the Cultural Revolution and they understand how divisive and how difficult it was and how much destruction it caused," she says.

"The priority the two sides are placing on the deal is not so much a way to repair damage as it is to not cause further damage," says Professor of Economics Mary Lovely. "If the U.S. announces the deal is dead, Trump is locked into some kind of retaliation."

Professor of Economics Mary Lovely says targets for exports of farm goods, factory products, and crude oil were always going to be a stretch, and that the coronavirus pandemic has made things worse.

James Steinberg, University Professor of Social Science, International Affairs and Law and former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, urges the United States and China to work together in his op-ed for Nikkei Asian Review “China and U.S. must cooperate to lead world out of coronavirus danger.” 

Meeting the terms of the ["Phase One" trade] deal could now rely on the state’s willingness to step in and make the purchases instead of the private sector, says Mary Lovely, professor of economics. "There are going to be a lot of businesses in China that are not going to survive this," she says, referring to the lockdowns associated with the coronavirus.