I don't think I met any in college who spoke about their thoughts about the CCP. But yea, it definitely seems plausible and very likely that there are a proportion that are grateful to the CCP for the opportunities they are given. I would be extremely curious about the ratio that is thankful to the party versus thankful that they've escaped.

> I would be extremely curious about the ratio that is thankful to the party versus thankful that they've escaped.

Escaped? Lolololol.

If China is as bad as the western mainstream media or some of those anti-China YouTube channels make it out to be, then all of those Chinese students (middle class or above) that studied in western countries would do whatever they could to stay but the majority go back to China to live and work.

Of all the Chinese friends I made in China, some are not satisfied with the CCP, mainly to do with the issue of free speech/censorship and that you cannot criticise the CCP openly. I would say the majority love their country, including the ones that studied in western countries.

Does Chinese government pay the tuition for these students? That sounds like too good to be true.

For some of them, yes [0], but even beside that, if you're well off enough, in country that treats dissenters so poorly, to send your child abroad to study at an expensive university, you're likely in favor of the status quo.

0 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Scholarship_Council

Total number of Chinese students about 370k https://fortune.com/2021/08/16/us-universities-international...

Your link shows: The CSC funds approximately 65,000 Chinese students studying abroad in a given year, and the same number of international students in China.[1]

The vast majority of students from China in western countries pay out of their own pockets, i.e. their parents saved up or their family are wealthy.

Don't get confused with the CSC who mainly give scholarships (tuition, accommodation, stipend) to non Chinese nationals to study in China.