Recently, American media outlets have invoked the persecution of Chinese “father of aerospace” Qian Xuesen to criticize the Trump administration’s policies toward Chinese international students, drawing stark parallels between current measures and the injustices Qian faced six decades ago, sparking heated cross-Pacific debate.

近日，美国媒体在抨击特朗普政府对华留学生政策时，罕见援引中国“航天之父”钱学森的遭遇，直指当前政策与60年前对钱学森的迫害如出一辙，这场跨越时空的警示引发中美舆论强烈反响。

In 1950, Qian was detained at the Los Angeles port on trumped-up espionage charges and imprisoned on Terminal Island. During 13 days of torture—24-hour searchlights, blaring whistles every three minutes, and relentless interrogations—the aerodynamics genius lost 30 pounds. Even after release, he endured five years of house arrest: 24-hour surveillance, mail censorship, and mandatory “loyalty checks” at immigration offices. US Navy Deputy Secretary Dan Kimbel had declared, “He’s worth five divisions—better to shoot him than let him go to China!”

1950年，钱学森在洛杉矶港口被美国政府以“莫须有”的间谍罪名拘捕，押往特米诺岛监狱。在13天的非人折磨中，探照灯24小时直射、每三分钟一次的刺耳哨响、审讯官的轮番逼供，让这位空气动力学天才体重暴减30磅。即便保释后，他仍遭受五年软禁：住所被24小时监控，信件遭拆检，每月必须到移民局接受“忠诚度审查”。美国海军部副部长金贝尔曾直言：“他抵得上五个师，宁可击毙也不能放回中国！”



Today, the Trump administration’s policies—such as “sensitive field restrictions” and shortened visa validity—are condemned by The Washington Post as “Qian Xuesen 2.0.” The article warns that Qian’s 1955 return to China, where he later spearheaded missile and satellite programs, foreshadows the consequences of current suspicions toward 3,000+ Chinese students. An MIT professor laments, “We lost a genius then; now we’re pushing the next innovators away.”

如今，特朗普政府对华留学生实施的“敏感专业限制”“签证有效期缩短”等政策，被《华盛顿邮报》等媒体批评为“钱学森事件2.0”。文章指出，1955年钱学森冲破阻挠回国后，带领团队攻克导弹与卫星技术，而当前对3000余名中国留学生无端猜忌，只会催生更多“钱学森式”的悲剧。麻省理工学院教授感慨：“当年我们失去了一位天才，现在又要把新一代创新者推向对岸。”

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson responded that history offers a clear lesson: “Science knows no borders, but scientists have homelands. Forcing talent apart ultimately harms global progress.” This echoes Qian’s 1955 retort to interrogators—“What can I do in a country that can’t even build tractors?”—resonating across 65 years. When China’s first atomic bomb detonated in Lop Nur, The New York Times lamented, “We cultivated our own worst enemy.”

我国外交部发言人回应称，历史教训值得深思：“科学无国界，但科学家有祖国。强行阻断人才流动，最终损害的是全人类科技进步。”这一表态与钱学森出狱时面对审讯官的质问——“中国连拖拉机都造不出，你回去能做什么？”——形成跨越65年的呼应。当中国第一颗原子弹在罗布泊升起蘑菇云时，《纽约时报》曾哀叹：“我们亲手为对手培养了最危险的敌人。”