us visa crackdown fuels Beijing's protest over student revocations
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning expressed "strong" opposition to the "unfounded" decision by U.S. authorities, announced by U.S. Secretary of State Marc Rubio, regarding the "aggressive" revocation of visas for Chinese students. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China filed an "official protest" in Washington regarding this matter.
During a press briefing, Mao emphasized that the U.S. administration uses "ideology and national security issues as a pretext" for groundlessly invalidating visas. She added that these actions "seriously harm the rights and interests of Chinese students" and "disrupt normal exchanges between people of both countries."
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This political and discriminatory action by the American side reveals the lies about the supposed freedom and openness that America so consistently promotes and will only further damage the image of the United States, its international reputation, and credibility, Mao highlighted.
On Wednesday, Rubio announced that the United States will "aggressively" revoke visas for Chinese students, primarily those linked to the Communist Party of China or studying in "sensitive fields."
The U.S. Secretary of State also announced strengthened scrutiny of future visa applications from individuals in China due to suspicions of connections with intelligence services.
During the 2023/2024 academic year, over 277,000 Chinese students were studying in the U.S. They represent the second-largest group of international students at American universities, following Indian nationals.
