Loss of China students – Universities warned of credit risk

Canada’s University of British Columbia (UBC) is among the universities exposed to credit risk because of political tensions between Canada and China, according to a new report from Moody’s, writes Bethany Lindsay for CBC News.

That's because of the possibility that China could restrict or dissuade Chinese students from studying in Canada, Moody's Investors Service says. UBC would be one of three Canadian universities in an especially tricky position if that were to happen.

The warning comes as Canada-China relations have been strained by the arrest in Vancouver of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei. Extradition proceedings are currently underway for Meng, who faces criminal charges in the United States over alleged violations of international trade sanctions against Iran. China has warned Canada of serious consequences following the arrest. Should those consequences include restrictions on Chinese students studying in Canada, UBC, McGill University and the University of Toronto would be impacted more than any other Canadian universities.
Full report on the CBC News site