US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the US will begin the process of revoking the visas of some Chinese students. This will include Chinese students associated with the Chinese Communist Party or studying in sensitive fields. His announcement has created a stir among Chinese students studying in America.
After India, China has the second largest number of students coming to study in the US. More than 270,000 students were from China in the 2023-2024 academic session. The US Secretary of State announced this on Christmas and said that the government would aggressively cancel the visas of Chinese students.
Earlier on Tuesday, Rubio halted new visa interviews for international students as the US State Department prepares guidelines to scrutinize students’ internet media activities. Recently, the Trump administration had revoked Harvard’s eligibility to admit foreign students. However, a federal judge has put a stay on this decision of the administration.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Thursday called the US decision unfair and said China has lodged a protest with the US. She said the US decision was politically motivated. America preaches freedom and open-mindedness throughout the world, but its lie has been exposed.