chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-04-18 20:07

Instead of considering them intellectuals with whom to exchange ideas, it seems the United States now regards Chinese professors and scholars in the field of social sciences as spies, and is shutting the door to them.

Many have been prevented from entering the US for exchanges or to attend seminars or take up positions as visiting scholars because Washington has decided in its infinite wisdom that they plan to conduct espionage activities, steal business secrets or interfere with US politics on behalf of the Chinese government.

What? Why?

Chinese scholars have not changed, they are still hoping to be able to compare notes with their US counterparts on academic issues, and help people in the US better understand Chinese policies.

It is the mentality of US policymakers that has changed. They are not confident any more in their own political system and in their own values. They do not believe any more that cooperation between the US and China will benefit both countries.

They have become paranoid and fret about China exploiting its cooperation with the US in a way that will harm US interests.

As many as 30 scholars in the field of social sciences have had their visas revoked or administratively reconsidered in the past 12 months. A Chinese professor of international relations with Nanjing University was recently intercepted by FBI agents in Los Angeles airport when he was catching a flight back home and had his visa to the US revoked.

Unwarranted doubts about a person may lead to ludicrous suspicion about everything that the person does. The notion of a "China threat" has had such a pernicious influence on the minds of US policymakers that they no longer seem able to perceive anything related to China as anything other than a menacing.

This means they lack the objectivity and rational thinking imperative for promoting healthy China-US relations.

It does not take an MRI scan to see that they are not thinking clearly. Has the US ever caught any Chinese professors or scholars doing intelligence work on behalf of China's intelligence agency? Has the US caught any of them acting as spies on behalf of the Chinese government? Not a single case has ever been reported. So on what grounds is the US government targeting such a large group of Chinese intellectuals as suspicious? It seems to be jonesing on its monomania.

Reduced communication and exchanges between intellectuals of both countries will only increase the mistrust between the two countries and their peoples, and do no good to the sound development of bilateral relations.