US to start ‘aggressively' revoking visas for Chinese students, Rubio says
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the United States will start 'aggressively' revoking visas issued to Chinese students, and will 'enhance scrutiny' of applications from mainland China and Hong Kong.
'Under President [Donald] Trump's leadership, the US State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,' he said in a statement.
'We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong,' the statement added.
China has continued to send a substantial number of students into the US, second only to India as the top source of international students, even as students and academics from the country have faced increasing scrutiny by the US government.
More than 277,000 Chinese citizens accounted for nearly 25 per cent of all international students in the country, according to last year's Open Doors report, sponsored by the US Department of State.
Senator Ashley Moody, the Florida Republican who replaced Rubio in Congress after he was nominated by Trump to helm the State Department, lauded Wednesday's announcement.
Moody, who introduced a bill proposing to ban all Chinese students in the US accused American universities of 'importing espionage'.
'The US is no longer in the business of importing espionage,' she said in a post on X. 'Now, it's time for Congress to act and pass my STOP CCP Visas Act. We no longer have a choice: As long as the CCP has laws forcing Chinese students to gather intelligence on their behalf, we cannot grant them student visas.'
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), which bills itself as non-partisan but whose members are Democrats, issued a statement condemning Rubio's announcement.
'The wholesale revocation of student visas based on national origin – and without an investigation – is xenophobic and wrong,' it said. 'Turning these students away – many of whom simply wish to learn in a free and democratic society – is not just shortsighted but a betrayal of our values.'
The State Department's move on Wednesday followed a series of actions aimed more broadly at restricting international students to address alleged threats to national security.
On Tuesday, Rubio reportedly sent a diplomatic cable to America's embassies and consulates worldwide to stop scheduling student visa interviews as Trump's administration considers more expansive vetting of the social media profiles of applicants.
That development came just days after the Department of Homeland Security sought to block Harvard University from enrolling foreign students due to what it described as noncompliance with its request to provide records of their activities on campus. The move was halted by a federal judge on Friday after Harvard sued the administration.
In an ironic twist, Rubio's announcement came out just as China's top envoy to the US was striking an optimistic tone about people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, despite intensifying competition and suspicion that has defined the bilateral relationship in recent years.
In an event at his embassy on Wednesday evening, Ambassador Xie Feng highlighted his country's push to advance its technological capabilities and lure top talent during an event highlighting the scientific and cultural experiences of American citizens on the mainland.
'It is people-to-people ties that invigorate China-US relations', he said emphatically, adding that the 'future of this relationship ultimately depends on the two peoples.'
'We warmly welcome all American friends to travel in China, shop in China, succeed in China and take part in Chinese modernisation. Come and see the country with your own eyes,' Xie urged his audience.
Citing collaborative work to promote folic acid supplements that 'helped millions of newborns' and joint efforts that helped African countries curb the spread of Ebola, Xie insisted that China's 'pursuit of innovation is not to oppose or outcompete anyone, but for better lives for its own people and greater development of humanity'.
'China and the United States each have strengths in science and technology,' he added. 'The right path forward is mutual learning and cooperation for sheer success.'
Additional reporting by Bochen Han
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