Navigating Chinese international graduate students’ experiences and mobility during US-China geopolitical tensions

International students have played an important role in bolstering the soft power of host countries. However, despite their significant contributions to enhancing soft power, Chinese international graduate students, in particular, have faced a less-than-welcoming environment. As US-China geopolitical tensions grow, we know less about the effects on Chinese international graduate students’ experiences and mobility. Through a phenomenology study of eleven Chinese international graduate students’ narratives, this study draws interrelated theories of soft power and the push-pull model to explore how US-China geopolitical tensions shift Chinese students’ experience and mobility. The findings indicate that Chinese students are changing and have more academic and career options. Chinese students have also encountered stereotypes, xenophobia, and Sinophobia, which might shift their decisions on future mobility.