America’s Open Door Leads to China’s Open Season
President Trump’s sudden reversal—from tightening student visa policies to proposing 600,000 slots for Chinese students—has sent shockwaves through both academic and national-security communities. This policy shift more than doubles the number of Chinese students admitted to U.S. universities, punching through existing visa levels and prompting fierce backlash from conservative voices: Steve Bannon, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and others see this as a betrayal of “America.”
Senior Investigative reporter at the Epoch Times, Joshua Philipp is extremely qualified to talk about Chinese infiltration of the U.S. Ben Maloney is a social media and technology expert with Falun Dafa who breaks down the digital warfare techniques used by the CCP.
This is no ordinary immigration change—it’s a potential opening for CCP espionage, propaganda, and ideological infiltration. We’re already seeing how Chinese influence infiltrates through social media manipulation, fentanyl distribution networks, and forced students acting as proxies or intelligence vessels in academia. Trump’s announcement, seen by many as sacrificing security for soft-power optics, only heightens the urgency of this threat.
Enter Joshua Philipp, Leeshai Lemish, and Ben Maloney—voices who can unpack the depth of risk here. They can speak to:
- How CCP-linked networks embed inside educational institutions through student bodies, research funding, and ideological outreach.
- The vulnerabilities in university systems where recruitment of Chinese students is driven by tuition revenue, leaving critical infrastructure and R&D exposed.
- Why this visa surge isn’t just a numbers game—it’s a strategic security gamble, especially without intense vetting and oversight.
- The historical pattern: fentanyl pipelines, disinformation campaigns, and espionage rings often trace back to academic covers or friendly educational exchanges.
- The necessity of bipartisan policy—including ideological vetting, counter-intelligence cooperation, and limits on sensitive STEM access—to protect U.S. interests.
- This moment is a flashpoint where education, national security, and ideological warfare collide. Trump’s reversal demands scrutiny beyond the headlines; it demands expert insight.
Would you like to set up a rapid-response segment with Philipp, Lemish, or Maloney to break down the implications—live on-air, or in a feature article?
Relevant Article(s)
OPTIONAL Q&A:
- What does the surge of 600,000 Chinese student visas mean for U.S. national security?
- How could Chinese students be used by the CCP as conduits for espionage or propaganda inside American universities?
- Why are conservative voices calling Trump’s move a betrayal of his “America First” agenda?
- What vulnerabilities exist within U.S. higher education that make it a prime target for CCP infiltration?
- How does this decision intersect with the ongoing fentanyl crisis and other CCP-linked threats?
- What historical precedents show the CCP using academic exchanges as cover for intelligence gathering?
- Could strict vetting or restrictions on sensitive STEM programs mitigate the risks, or is the door now wide open?
- How should policymakers balance legitimate educational exchange with the clear and present dangers of CCP infiltration?
ABOUT JOSHUA PHILIPP…
Joshua Philipp is an award-winning journalist and Senior Investigative Reporter at The Epoch Times. He is the host of ‘Crossroads,’ a news and analysis program on EpochTV. His works have included breakthrough investigations into the origins of Covid-19 and the Wuhan laboratory in the early days of the pandemic. He spearheaded the first documentary on the lab leak origins of the COVID-19 virus, released in April 2020. This groundbreaking documentary garnered over 75 million views, and while many tried to label it misinformation, its findings have since been vindicated by the White House and US intelligence agencies.
EXPERT ANALYSIS FROM JOSHUA PHILIPP
Joshua Philipp, senior investigative reporter at The Epoch Times and a recognized China expert, has mapped out these networks during his 15-plus years of research into the CCP. He provides a deeper context on the CCP’s attempts to subvert the systems and institutions in the United States. As the Chinese regime states, they aim to “strangle you with your own systems,” and that tactic is playing out across key industries and institutions in the US.
Josh is also a leading expert on Chinese unconventional warfare and United Front operations, which he has investigated and exposed since 2008. His 15-plus years of research and investigations on the Chinese Communist Party, subversion, human rights abuses and related topics give him unique insight into the global threat and political landscape.
ABOUT BEN MALONEY…
Ben brings a human-centric approach to the issue of Chinese transnational repression in America. Ben is the Digital Outreach Director for the Falun Dafa Information Center and has worked for Fortune 500 companies in various technology roles. With his deep background in technology, he can speak authoritatively on how the Chinese Communist Party weaponizes surveillance, AI, and digital tools to target both Chinese and Americans. A practitioner of Falun Gong meditation who has 20 years of expertise in human rights work, he can help Americans understand how the CCP exports persecution to the U.S., influences our thinking and social media feeds, and endangers our freedoms.
ABOUT LEESHAI LEMISH…
Leeshai Lemish has been with Shen Yun for 18 years. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Chinese history and language from Pomona College, California, and his master’s in international relations from the London School of Economics. He has spent extended periods studying, working, and conducting research throughout East Asia, and has authored articles on Chinese current affairs in both English and Chinese.
He joined Shen Yun Performing Arts as an MC when the company was founded in 2006 and has since emceed close to two thousand performances with the company, taking the stage with Shen Yun at prestigious theaters such as Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center, the London Coliseum, Tokyo Opera City, and many others worldwide. In addition to his performance role, he has tracked and documented on his website over 100 cases of the Chinese Communist Party and its agents trying to sabotage Shen Yun internationally. He has testified on transnational repression in front of Congress, has been a featured guest on television and radio shows around the world, and is the host of the podcast Shen Yun Voices.
CONTACT:
For further details or to arrange the interview, please contact Jerry McGlothlin at 919-437-0001 / Bookings@SeasonalLiving.com
CONTACT: Todd Baumann at 512-966-0983 or by email Jerry McGlothlin at bookings@specialguests.com.
