E-Paper
China reacts to ‘unreasonable’ US student visa ban, lodges protest
In its first reaction to the Trump administration's decision, China has labelled the move as “unreasonable.”
China has lodged a formal protest over the United States' recent decision to revoke all visas of Chinese students in the country. In its first reaction to the Trump administration's decision, China has labelled the move as “unreasonable.”
The Chinese foreign ministry has spoken up against the US decision to revoke visas. “The US has unreasonably cancelled Chinese students' visas under the pretext of ideology and national rights. China firmly opposes this and has lodged representations with the US,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
As per Reuters, a spokesperson for the ministry added that Beijing hopes the US “can do more that is conducive to healthy development of China-US relations.”.
"This political and discriminatory action exposes the lies of freedom and openness that the US has consistently touted and will only further damage the US’ international image and credibility, Mao added further.
US revokes visas for Chinese students
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the US government will be revoking all visas of Chinese students in the country. Taking to X, the top diplomat said that visas of all Chinese students, especially “those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields” stand revoked.
As per the official statement issued y the US state department, the visa ban has been extended to students from Hong Kong.
Furthermore, the US stated it would also "revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong."
Chinese students hold the second-largest share of international students in the US, right behind India.
As per a report published by the State Department in 2024, Of the 1.1 million international students enrolled in the US, over 277,000 students came from China, whereas India had around 331,000 students.
US-China ties have been in a delicate state since the Biden administration. However, with Trump's taking over as President, his hiked tariffs against Beijing caused tensions to escalate.
Trump administration's strict rules for foreign students
Amid Trump's crackdown on universities and the enrolment of foreign students, the US government announced that by skipping classes or dropping out of courses, international students in the country could risk the cancellation of their visa and be deported.
Furthermore, the administration has announced a halt in student visa interviews across embassies and consulates in the globe, stating it would pay more weightage to online and social media checks.
