photo by: Kathy Hanks

Haoxuan Wang and Xinahuo Chen pose together outside the Kansas Union at the University of Kansas on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. They are both from China, met at KU and plan to marry.

Haoxuan Wang can’t fathom the tension between China and the U.S. escalating to a point where he would be banned from studying at the University of Kansas.

As a senior, majoring in communications studies and business, he plans to graduate in May 2019.

However, over the past months, as the trade war has escalated between the two countries, there have been rumblings in the Trump administration about proposals to ban Chinese students from studying in American universities, according to several national media outlets.

Wang said the only effect on his life since the trade war began was the growing gap between the American dollar and the Yuan or renminbi, the Chinese currency. One U.S. dollar currently equals about 7 Yuan.

“It’s much more expensive to live here,” Wang said. But other than that, he doesn’t give much thought to the trade war.

“For me, it’s something I should know about, but I don’t think it will influence or change my daily life,” he said.

At some point, he said, the number of students studying in the U.S. could be limited, but he doesn’t think they would be totally banned.

“Trade wars are between countries,” Wang said. “The ban is about individuals who have the freedom if they want to study abroad. Coming to the U.S. is about getting an education.

“I have heard that some of the American government thinks Chinese scholars and students come as spies, trying to steal technology. I don’t agree with that. I want to improve myself and this is a great and unique opportunity to study abroad rather than stay in my own country my whole life.”

While Wang isn’t concerned about the current political climate, others might be. The number of students from China studying at KU has dropped for the fall semester.

Currently, there are 832 students from China, which is down 65 students from last year, a 7 percent decrease.

Meanwhile, the total foreign student enrollment has dropped roughly 6 percent from the 2,246 students enrolled in 2013. This year, there are 2,114 students from around the globe.

Charles Olcese, director of International Student Services at KU, said that, while a ban on students from China was unlikely, it would mean a loss of 40 percent of the international students at KU.

“It would present not only a financial issue, but also a cultural void,” Olcese said. “A more relevant concern is the shortening of the Chinese student visa from five years to one year, which would also cause many students to consider other locations to study rather than the U.S.”

During his tenure at the university, Olcese has observed cycles — whether political, financial or natural disasters — that have disrupted a flow of students.

“When I first started back in the 1980s it was the decline of the Iranian student flow after the hostages at the embassy in Tehran that brought new flows from East and Southeast Asia.

“A few years ago, the king of Saudi Arabia started a very popular scholarship program that brought thousands of Saudi nationals to study in the U.S. When the king died and King Salman took his place, the flow of Saudis slowed considerably,” Olcese said.

Olcese said several other reasons also explained the drop in numbers.

“First, and probably most persistent, is the competition for international students worldwide has become much more competitive in the last few years,” Olcese said

Not only have the traditional players for international students stepped up, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Germany, but several of the larger countries sending students have mobilized to not only keep students home, but to also attract them from neighboring countries, Olcese said.

“China and India are prime examples of that,” Olcese said. “So, the pie has gotten smaller … as they cut into more pieces.”

Along with the competitive shift, Olcese said the U.S. needs to address the perception on the world stage — which has grown since 2016 — of being unwelcoming.

KU is not alone in dealing with these declines, Olcese said.

“Most universities in the U.S. have seen an enrollment drop, especially in the Midwest. Despite the drop, there has been an aggressive move to increase recruitment efforts,” he said. “We are hopeful we have turned the tide on this.”

Meanwhile, Wang is hoping his parents, who live on the island province of Hainan in China, will be able to come to Lawrence to watch him receive his diploma.

Wang will eventually return to China, but following graduation, he plans to apply to graduate school at KU. He has motivation for staying in the community for a few more years; his girlfriend, Xinahuo Chen, a junior majoring in theater design, is also from China.

They met through KU’s Academic Accelerator Program, which helps foreign students transition into the university. He was the peer mentor of her group. Now, the two live together and plan to eventually marry.

Like her fiancé, Chen doesn’t give much thought to the trade war. Instead, they both focus on their studies — and each other.