Beijing opposes US plan to revoke Chinese student visas | World News

China said it firmly opposes the United States’ plan to revoke visas from Chinese students, and urged its Western rival to be more constructive towards stable bilateral relations, the Chinese foreign minry said on Thursday.China has lodged a protest over US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s announcement of the move.
The US used ideology and national security as a “pretext” for its decision, which harms legitimate rights and interests of the students, foreign minry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing.
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Chinese students anxious over US visa revoke plan
Chinese students studying in the US are scrambling to figure out their futures after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that some students would have their visas revoked.
The US will begin revoking the visas of some Chinese students, including those studying in “critical fields”, and “those with connections to the Chinese Commun Party,” according to the announcement Wednesday.
China is the second-largest country of origin for international students in the United States, behind only India. In the 2023-2024 school year, more than 270,000 international students were from China, making up roughly a quarter of all foreign students in the US.
This is a “new version of Chinese Exclusion Act,” said Linqin, a Chinese student at Johns Hopkins University, who asked to be identified only his first name out of fear of retaliation. He was referring to a 19th-century law that prohibited Chinese from immigrating to the US and banned Chinese people already in the US from getting citizenship. He said Wednesday was the first time he thought about leaving the US after spending one-third of his life here.Story continues below this ad
Chinese international students are point of tension between US and China
China’s Foreign Minry spokesperson, Mao Ning, called the US decision unreasonable.
“Such a politicised and discriminatory action lays bare the US lie that it upholds the so-called freedom and openness,” she said Thursday, adding that China has lodged a protest with the US.
The issue of Chinese students studying overseas has long been a point of tension in the bilateral relationship. During Trump’s first term, in 2019, China’s Minry of Education warned students about visa issues in the US, with rising rejection rates and shortening of visas.
Last year, the Chinese Foreign Minry protested that a number of Chinese students have been unfairly interrogated and sent home upon arrival at US airports.Story continues below this ad
Chinese state media has long hyped gun violence in the US and violent protests during the pandemic, and portrayed the US as a dangerous place that wasn’t safe for its citizens. The tense bilateral relationship has also meant that some Chinese students are opting to study in the UK or other countries over the US after the pandemic.
Zou Renge, a 27-year-old public policy master’s student at the University of Chicago, said she had planned to take some time off and work in humanitarian aid programs abroad after graduating at the end of this year.
But now, she will refrain from leaving the US and will look for jobs in the meantime. “In a very uncertain environment, I’ll try my best to find myself a solution,” she said.
Hong Kong seeks to draw in talent amid uncertainty
Some were eager to capitalise on the uncertainty facing international students in the US. Hong Kong’s leader John Lee told lawmakers on Thursday that the city would welcome any students who have been discriminated against American policies to study in the city.Story continues below this ad
“The students who face unfair treatment can come from different countries beyond the US. I think this is an opportunity for Hong Kong,” he said. “We will work with our universities to provide the best support and assance.” That followed a widely shared post the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology inviting Harvard students to “continue their academic pursuits” there after Trump said he would revoke the university’s ability to accept international students.
Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to China in 1997, is a popular destination for mainland Chinese students to pursue their university degrees because of its international image and relative freedoms.
The city launched a new visa scheme in 2022 to counter the exodus of expatriates and local professionals that occurred after Beijing imposed a national security law to quell dissent and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kitty Wu, director of education consultancy Litz USA Student Service in Hong Kong, said some students who planned to apply to American universities in the future are now also considering the University of Hong Kong, the city’s top university and an option because of its high ranking — something that had not happened before.Story continues below this ad
“Things are different every day now, we don’t know how things will change in the future, so we don’t know the impact for next year,” she said.
Will Kwong, managing director at Hong Kong’s AAS Education Consultancy, said his company was helping students with offers from American universities to apply to other institutions, predominantly in Britain and Australia.
US was known for diversity and this will hurt it, students say
“Having fewer international exchanges is definitely not good for America’s development,” said Zhang Qi, a postdoctoral fellow in Beijing. “This could be a positive change for China’s development. More talented individuals may choose to stay at Tsinghua or Peking University, or with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other top institutions in China, which would benefit the development of domestic science and technology.” For many, there is little they can do as they now wait for the fallout from the move.
Chen, an incoming Chinese student at Purdue University who only gave his last name out of concern for retaliation the Trump adminration, has been waiting anxiously for his visa approval. But he was also angry. Currently, in China, he said this was the exact opposite of what he thought the US stood for.Story continues below this ad
“I was expecting freedom and tolerance. The US was known for its diversity, which allows international students to fit in, but it is a pity to see such kind of change,” he said.
(With inputs from AP)