Harvard and Other US Universities Under Financial Pressure Take Drastic Measures... Recognizing Chinese Vaccines

Chinese Students Vaccinated with Sinopharm Do Not Need Re-vaccination in the US
Airfare from Shanghai to San Francisco in July-August Surges Fivefold

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Chinese media reported that Chinese international students vaccinated with the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine do not need to be vaccinated again in the United States. This follows the World Health Organization (WHO)'s emergency use authorization of the Sinopharm vaccine, which Chinese media interpreted as the U.S. effectively recognizing the Chinese-made vaccine. The move is also expected to help expand people-to-people exchanges between China and the U.S. and improve bilateral relations.

According to Chinese media including the state-run Global Times on the 13th, seven prestigious U.S. universities including Harvard, Columbia, New York University, Yale, Rochester, and Dartmouth have recognized the Sinopharm vaccine.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Accordingly, Chinese students studying at these universities this fall semester who have completed the Sinopharm vaccination in China will not need to be vaccinated again locally in the U.S.

WHO approved the emergency use of the Sinopharm vaccine on the 8th. Currently, five vaccines have received emergency use authorization, including Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), and AstraZeneca.

Chinese media forecast that the acceptance of the Chinese vaccine by these seven U.S. universities will influence other universities in the U.S. Although uncertainties about infectious diseases remain, the easing of travel restrictions on Chinese international students by U.S. authorities and the approval of the Chinese vaccine by U.S. universities are expected to increase the number of Chinese students preparing to go to the U.S.

The Global Times reported that the price of direct flight tickets on the Shanghai-San Francisco route from July to August on Ctrip, China's largest online flight booking platform, surged from 6,000 yuan (approximately 1.05 million KRW) to 28,000 yuan (approximately 4.9 million KRW). It added that some direct flights from major Chinese cities to the U.S. are sold out.

Diao Daming, a professor at Renmin University of China, said, "This appears to be a series of efforts by the Biden administration to gradually reopen people-to-people exchanges with China," but added, "The Biden administration will not ease tensions in key interest areas such as the high-tech industry."

Meanwhile, regarding the recognition of Chinese international students' vaccination by U.S. universities, some view it as a desperate measure by U.S. universities struggling with financial pressure. According to the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers (NAFSA), international students contributed $41 billion (approximately 46 trillion KRW) to the U.S. economy in the 2018-2019 academic year. Chinese students accounted for more than 30% of this contribution.

In fact, in the 2018-2019 academic year, there were 369,548 Chinese international students, making up 33.7% of all international students. A decrease in Chinese students could cause financial problems for U.S. universities. U.S. universities have been facing financial difficulties due to U.S.-China tensions and travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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