"Don't Accept Chinese Participants": U.S. Excludes China from Next-Generation Leaders Program

Recruitment of Chinese Participants Halted in July... U.S.: Chinese Authorities "Excessively Interfering with Their Own Trainees"

Foreign media have reported that the U.S. government halted recruitment of Chinese participants for its exchange programs for professionals with countries around the world this past July.

On October 1, Kyodo News reported, citing multiple sources, that the U.S. government is currently restricting Chinese participation in programs such as the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and the Professional Fellows Program (PFP).

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and U.S. President Donald Trump

The programs bring promising future leaders from around the world to the United States for training lasting from two weeks to one year. In previous years, dozens of people from China were invited to participate each year, gaining opportunities to learn alongside experts about a wide range of topics, including diplomacy, counterterrorism, and artificial intelligence (AI).

The International Visitor Leadership Program is a flagship U.S. public diplomacy program run by the U.S. Department of State that invites emerging leaders from around the world. Former South Korean presidents Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung, as well as former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, have participated in the program. The Professional Fellows Program, run by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), aims to bring capable young mid-career leaders from around the world to the United States and help them build sustainable partnerships with American professionals.

According to an internal U.S. document released this past August, U.S. diplomatic missions in China expressed concern that Chinese authorities were exerting "excessive interference" in their citizens' visits to the United States and participation in U.S. training programs. Kyodo News also reported cases of Chinese participants being harassed, threatened, or arrested by Chinese authorities for taking part in the programs.

Ian Chong, a political science professor at the National University of Singapore, observed, "Behind the words projecting a friendly atmosphere, exchanges between the United States and China remain very limited." In other words, despite the two countries' outward emphasis on friendly relations, significant constraints remain on people-to-people exchanges.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.