2023年8月11日，香港英文报刊《南华早报》（South China Morning Post, SCMP)采访饶毅，当天饶毅提供英文回复及其中文翻译。
8月26日刊出，引用了回复的部分文字。
全部回复如下：
It was the Soviets which tried to block educational and scientific exchanges during the cold war, whereas the West have pursued and actually actively pushed for them. It would not only be morally wrong, but also ridiculous for the West to reduce or stop education and research exchanges which are the most basic and broadly shared human intellectual activities.
Over the last decade or so, I have been personally asked to help some of the top universities in the US for participation in the CSC or getting more slots from the CSC. I happily provided because it was good both for the universities and for the Chinese students. It is hypocritic for any Western university to switch its position now, claiming foul play on the Chinese part. All intellectuals and all universities of the world should resist the Trumpism of destroying basic human values.
International collaborations of higher education and scientific research form an indispensable bridge for mutual understanding of people from different regions, cultures and religions of the world. It can be argued that they are part of the pillars supporting world peace over the last seven decades. Destroying them would lead to severe consequences over the long run.
冷战时期，是苏联试图阻止教育和科研交流，而西方实际积极努力推动教育和科研交流。如果西方现在减少或停止教育和研究交流，不仅道德错误，而且非常可笑。教育和研究的交流是最基本和广泛共享的人类智力活动。
近十年来，美国顶尖大学多次请我个人帮忙参加中国教育留学基金或获得更多名额。我很高兴帮忙，因为对大学和中国学生都是好事。如果现在如何西方大学改立场，号称中国有猫腻，那就是这个大学的虚伪。全世界知识分子和大学都应该反对破坏人类基本价值的特朗普主义。
高等教育和科学研究的国际合作形成了全世界不同地区、文化和宗教的人民相互理解必不可少的桥梁。可以说它们是过去七十年来世界和平的支柱，其毁灭将带来长期的严重后果。
《南华早报》用的文字如下：
Rao Yi, the president of Capital Medical University in Beijing, warned that any efforts to reduce academic exchanges would be morally wrong and “ridiculous”.
“International collaborations on higher education and scientific research are part of the pillars supporting world peace over the last seven decades. Destroying them would lead to severe consequences in the long run,” Rao said.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3232339/german-university-stops-accepting-state-funded-chinese-students-and-researchers-over-spying-fears?module=lead_hero_story&pgtype=homepage