VZCZCXRO3979
PP RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #3717/01 1550641
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 040641Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8553
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 003717 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
TREASURY FOR OASIA/ISA CUSHMAN 
LABOR FOR ILAB 
USDOC FOR ITA/MAC/OCEA MCQUEEN 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: ECON PGOV SOCI CH
SUBJECT: UNIVERSITY STUDENTS VIEWS ON ECONOMIC REFORM:  ENJOYING THE 
SUNSHINE 
 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) Students at two of China's most prestigious universities 
said they are optimistic about China's economic growth prospects and 
feel fortunate to be graduating from college during this period in 
China's development.  While they remain concerned about finding a 
good job after graduation, they believe China's economy currently 
provides many opportunities to earn a comfortable living.  As a 
result of China's rapid economic development, students are electing 
to pursue business opportunities rather than careers in government 
or academia, and they said they are less interested in social reform 
than in taking advantage of China's economic boom.  END SUMMARY. 
 
WHITE HOUSE FELLOWS VISIT TO CHINA 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) A delegation of 12 White House Fellows visited China May 
19-26 with stops in Xian and Beijing.  The visit covered a wide 
range of issues but focused primarily on economic development.  The 
White House Fellows exchanged views on China's economic reforms with 
university students at Jiaotong University in Xian on May 22 and 
Tsinghua University in Beijing on May 25. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
TWO OF CHINA'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS UNIVERSITIES 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Xian Jiaotong University was founded in 1896 and is 
considered Western China's top university.  The university has more 
than 20,000 undergraduates in 76 degree programs, and more than 20 
students from the Departments of Economics, Finance, Management, 
Foreign Languages, and International Studies participated in the May 
22 discussion.  Tsinghua University in Beijing is widely considered 
to be China's best university.  Graduate students from the School of 
Public Policy and Management provided their views on economic reform 
on May 25. 
 
COLLEGE:  THE BEST OF TIMES... 
------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) Students in both Xian and Beijing said they consider their 
generation to be very lucky to graduate during this period of 
China's history.  The students are optimistic about China's economic 
growth prospects and said they enjoy more opportunities than their 
parents.  A Tsinghua student said that she does not worry about a 
lack of opportunities but rather is concerned with which ones she 
should take.  A student at Jiaotong University said he is 
particularly encouraged by increasing economic cooperation between 
China and other countries, including the United States, and he hopes 
to study abroad to gain a global perspective. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Tsinghua graduate students told the White House Fellows 
that China's robust economic growth has influenced their dreams for 
the future.  The students said they previously wanted to earn PhDs 
and become professors or researchers, possibly become scientists and 
win a Nobel Prize, or perhaps become government officials.  But now, 
the students said, they are focusing on getting their Master's 
Degrees and finding high-paying jobs in the private sector so that 
they can buy a car and a house, get married, and "enjoy the 
sunshine." 
 
...THE WORST OF TIMES 
--------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Like students throughout China, however, the students we 
met at Jiaotong and Tsinghua remain concerned about job prospects 
given that there are more university graduates than white collar 
jobs.  The students at the two schools said they rest easier because 
they attend prestigious universities.  Without a strong degree, they 
said, students cannot guarantee their future.  (Note:  According to 
official statistics, 4.13 million students graduated from Chinese 
universities in 2006, and 4.75 million are projected to graduate in 
¶2007.  Since the Central Government launched a policy in 2001 to 
increase university enrollment, the number of students has increased 
more than fourfold, and despite China's rapid economic growth, the 
number of jobs that tap university-level skills has not kept pace. 
End Note.) 
 
¶7. (SBU) Students also expressed concern about China's growing 
rich-poor gap.  At Xian Jiaotong University, located in Western 
China, one student asked the White House Fellows for possible 
 
BEIJING 00003717  002 OF 002 
 
 
solutions to address economic imbalances.  At Tsinghua, one student 
said he is worried about Western China's incomplete social insurance 
system and the growing gap with the coast.  When it involves their 
own lives, however, two Tsinghua students from Western China 
(Chongqing Municipality and Guizhou Province) said they are not 
planning to return home to work but would prefer to remain in 
Beijing after graduation. 
 
VIEWS ON POLITICAL AND SOCIAL REFORM 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶8. (SBU) Not surprisingly, students from two of China's most 
prestigious universities supported the status quo when asked about 
political and social reform.  One student at Jiaotong University 
said the Communist Party is ruling the country effectively as 
demonstrated by improving living standards.  Students said the Party 
remains the primary economic growth engine, and China lacks 
philanthropic organizations or other civil society organizations 
engaged in community service.  Blogging on the internet provides an 
outlet for some frustrations, they said, but a few blogs do not 
accurately represent the reform views of all students. 
 
¶9. (SBU) The students uniformly said they are more interested in 
business than in social reform.  They asked the White House Fellows 
whether real estate is a good investment option and said they prefer 
finding a good business internship to joining a political or social 
organization.  One student at Jiaotong University summed up the 
views of his classmates by stating that he is involved in only two 
activities outside the classroom:  playing basketball and playing 
the stock market. 
 
COMMENT:  A REFLECTION OF CURRENT ECONOMIC REALITIES 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) The views of these students reflect current economic 
realities in China as a plethora of business opportunities await 
eager graduates from elite schools like Tsinghua and Jiaotong. 
While these students may defend the status quo on political and 
social issues, it is also conceivable, and even expected, for their 
views to change over time, but it is difficult to predict how their 
opinions might change.  As these students made clear, the pace of 
economic development and the opportunities it presents for them in 
the coming years will influence their outlook on political and 
social reform in China. 
 
PICCUTA