文章概述：

华盛顿国关系委员会（WSCRC）主席Mercy  A.  Kuo2019年5月8日在美国《外交官亚太时事》“跨太平洋视野”栏目中发表了与华盛顿州立大学国际项目副主任、美国驻摩尔多瓦大使（2008-2011年）以及美国海军办公室（CNO）前高级外交政策顾问Asif  Chaudhry博士的谈话，文章题为《美亚教育交流:公共外交的影响》（US-Asia Education Exchange: The  Impact of Public  Diplomacy）。文章称，亚洲，特别是环太平洋地区对美国的重要性不容小觑。促进美国和亚洲之间国际交流和相互了解最好的途径是通过文化和教育交流项目进行人文交流，这是维护这一地区和平与稳定的最好办法。重要的是，所有此类交流都应以开放的眼光和明确的积极意图进行。

对于评估美国决策者对中国在美国校园内的影响活动（如孔子学院）的担忧的问题，文章指出，这可能是一个非常有争议的话题，因为在保护美国利益、学术自由原则以及对课程控制和中国国家审查的关注等问题之间可能存在冲突。在这种复杂的环境中，重要的是不要忽视促进共同文化理解的价值。问一组不同的问题似乎更有成效：a）当前的孔子学院模式是否是实现提供汉语学习和中国文化理解的目标的最佳方式；b）在一个与中国进行智力交流、保护高等教育目标和价值观的完整性至关重要的时代，如果不办孔子学院，还能有其他的实现方式吗？

文章认为，美国的教育政策和公共外交政策之间的联系应该是在世界各地人民之间建立相互尊重和文明的基础。这些政策应该是并行的，相互促进的，因为应该有一个美国的教育政策，欢迎来自所有国家和文化的人，并把学生和学者送到国外，或把其他文化融入美国的教育计划。这些应该有助于支持美国在国外的公共外交倡议，帮助提高公众意见和了解其他文化。富布赖特和其他一些美国传统项目促进了与学生和学者、机构和机构以及各种当地社区的交流，从而建立起一种只有通过有意义的互动才能实现的联系和理解。如果不让美国学生和学者接触世界其他文化，反之亦然，我们就不能确保在全球经济中相互理解和欣赏。阻碍思想自由流动或相互交流能力的政策决定最终会损害美国的整体利益。

英文原文：

Trans-Pacific View  author Mercy Kuo regularly engages subject-matter experts, policy  practitioners and strategic thinkers across the globe for their diverse  insights into the U.S. Asia policy. This conversation with Dr. Asif  Chaudhry – Vice President of International Programs at Washington State  University; U.S. ambassador to Moldova (2008-2011); and former senior  foreign policy adviser to the Chief of U.S. Navy Office (CNO) – is the  186th in “The Trans-Pacific View Insight Series.”  

Explain the importance of international exchange between the U.S. and Asia.

The significance of  Asia, especially the Pacific Rim, to the United States cannot be  overstated. A region that touches almost 90 percent of the global trade  in one form or another and is home to five treaty allies of the United  States deserves continued attention in all aspects. The potential for  conflict over freedom of navigation or other simmering regional unease  compels us to look for ways to develop better understanding among the  people of the region and with the United States. There is no better way  to achieve that objective than people to people contacts through  cultural and educational exchange programs, and there is no better way  to ensure peace and stability in this vitally important region. It is  important, however, that all such exchanges be undertaken with open eyes  and a clear positive intent.  

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Describe the impact of U.S. immigration policy on enrollment rates of students from Asia at U.S. universities.    

Although there are  multiple factors that contribute to the decline in international  enrollments in the U.S., immigration policy has had a strong impact.  U.S. institutions report declines in enrollment due to: visa application  process or visa delays/denials; general social and political  environment in the U.S.; feeling unwelcome in the U.S.; and the  inability or the feeling of being unable to secure a job in the U.S.  after their studies.

It is also our  understanding that the declining rate of students from Asia in the U.S.  means that the U.S. is no longer first in attracting the best and the  brightest from all over the world as some students are choosing Canada,  Australia, etc. over the U.S. due to the immigration policies.  Additionally, this means that those schools with decreasing numbers are  suffering corresponding cultural and economic losses, which harms both  the schools and their broader communities.  

Assess U.S. policymakers’ concerns regarding Chinese influence activities, such as Confucius Institutes (CI), on U.S. campuses.

This can be a very  controversial topic because of the potential for conflicts among issues  of protecting U.S. interests, principles of academic freedom, and  concern over curricular control and Chinese state censorship. In this  complex environment, it is important to not lose sight of the value of  promoting shared cultural understanding. It seems more productive to ask  a somewhat different set of questions: a) is the current CI model the  best way to achieve the goals of providing Chinese language learning and  Chinese cultural understanding and/or, b) how else can this be done  without hosting a CI in an era in which it is crucial to intellectually  engage with China and protect the integrity of the goals and values of  higher education?

What are the downsides of limiting students from Asia to study in the United States?

With only about 3  percent of U.S. students studying abroad, the interaction of students  from around the world in the classroom is critical to promoting global  leadership and greater intercultural competence. We believe that  limiting students from Asia who want to study in the U.S. is detrimental  to our institutional goals as well as many other U.S. institutions who  aim to provide opportunities for all their students to be engaged  globally and to learn to interact with multiple cultures. Limiting  students from Asia also has a financial impact on the U.S. economy.  Limiting students from Asia may also pose a risk to our ability to  recruit the best and brightest from around the world as the “othering”  of the visitors and students from some nations suggests the U.S. fears  ideas from outside its borders. I have enough faith in our values, that  instead of being concerned wouldn’t it be a great accomplishment to  expose these visitors to the joys of living in a free and open society  that has accomplished so much primarily because of the freedom to  explore new ideas?

What is the link between U.S. education policy and public diplomacy?

      The link between  these two policies should be foundational in creating mutual respect and  civility between people around the world. The policies should be  parallel and mutually reinforcing, as we should have a U.S. education  policy that embraces and welcomes people from all countries and cultures  as well as sending students and scholars abroad or incorporating other  cultures in our education initiatives at home. These should then help  support our public diplomacy initiatives abroad to help raise public  opinions and insight into other cultures. Some of the U.S. legacy  programs like Fulbright and others, advance opportunities with students  and scholars, institutions and agencies, and various local communities  to create a connection and understanding that can only come about with  meaningful interactions. Without exposing U.S. students and scholars to  other cultures of the world and vice versa, we cannot ensure a mindful  understanding and appreciation of each other in a global economy. Policy  decisions that inhibit the free flow of ideas or the ability to  interact with each other are ultimately detrimental to U.S. interests at  large.