As US-China ties plummet amid a fierce trade war, wealthy Chinese parents like Shanghai's Huang remain undeterred, funneling over $100,000 annually into American high schools and universities for their children. Huang's 17-year-old daughter, already three years into a US high school program, dreams of studying computer science stateside — a "temporary drama" in her mother's eyes, not a deal-breaker.

The allure persists despite President Donald Trump's erratic policies: visa revocations threatened by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in May, only for Trump to greenlight 600,000 Chinese students months later. Yet, enrollment holds strong — Chinese students rank second after Indians in the 2023-24 academic year, per the Institute of International Education. Beijing tutoring agencies like Godot Han's prepare 200 students yearly for US admissions tests, charging $112-$210 per hour for one-on-one sessions.

For families like Ping Jiaqi's in Zhejiang, the investment — exceeding $400,000 for full tertiary education — promises "independent thinking" and diverse opportunities. Ping, an education consultant, notes his daughter's Brown University summer stint sparked her passion, undimmed by campus visits. "US-China relations haven't been good in a decade — there was never a honeymoon," he shrugs, insisting daily life for his US-based clients remains unaffected.

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Experts like Dylan Loh from Nanyang Technological University attribute the steadfast appeal to America's "longstanding prestige." Wealthiest parents, per Han, dismiss headlines: "They won't change plans over a single article." Safety fears — school shootings, anti-immigrant rhetoric — linger, but the "American Dream" endures, with some eyeing alternatives like Europe or Australia.

All eyes now turn to Thursday's Trump-Xi summit in South Korea, their first since Trump's White House return. For these families, stabilization could ease visa woes — but even without it, the trans-Pacific pursuit of brighter futures rolls on, one costly tuition payment at a time.

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