To Westerners who see China's math students regularly ranking near the top in international comparisons and Chinese mathematicians populating the math faculties at the finest overseas universities, Yau's crusade seems like overkill.
Universities had previously expressed fears about the loss of overseas students from tighter visa rules - but Universities UK said that their concerns had been taken into account.
Greedy for the extra cash they bring, our universities desperately seek overseas students and often ask no questions when some of them fail to appear for classes.
Postgraduate courses have become an important source of income for universities, particularly from overseas students.
American universities have 78 campuses overseas, including four in Britain.
ECONOMIST: Rocketing demand is luring British universities abroad
Only America, five times its size, has more foreign students, and with fees for local students capped, Britain's universities break even only by charging overseas ones what the market will bear.
The pursuit of overseas students has become big business - with UK universities competing with higher education institutions in countries such as the United States and Australia.
BBC: NEWS | UK | Education | Overseas students 'one in seven'
Educators feared that all courses below university level might be ruled off limits to overseas students, even though between 40% and 50% of foreigners at British universities had taken an earlier course in Britain, usually to hone language or study skills.
Universities' uncertainty over applications and places has been compounded by concerns over demand from overseas students.
Mr. PATRICK MOSCARITOLO (President and CEO, Greater Boston and Visitors and Convention Bureau): Interestingly enough for a destination that views its primary selling message as culture, arts, universities, history, what we're finding is almost a third of our overseas visitors are coming here, specifically, to shop.
University leaders and the chairs of five parliamentary select committees have called for overseas students to be removed from such targets, raising concerns that legitimate students could be deterred from applying to UK universities.
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