China has strongly condemned the United States for revoking visas of Chinese students, labeling the move as "unreasonable" and politically motivated. This reaction follows recent remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who announced plans to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese nationals studying in sensitive fields or suspected of ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning criticized the US actions, stating, "The US has unreasonably cancelled Chinese students’ visas under the pretext of ideology and national security. China firmly opposes this and has lodged formal representations with the US."
Rubio had posted on social media platform X that visa revocations would target Chinese students involved in areas deemed critical to national security. This move highlights increasing tensions between the two countries amid broader geopolitical and economic frictions.
Relations between the US and China have already been strained by former President Donald Trump's trade war, which disrupted global markets and supply chains. The number of Chinese students in the US has dropped from a peak of 370,000 in 2019 to approximately 277,000 in 2024, largely due to intensified US visa restrictions and diplomatic tensions.
Additionally, new guidelines from the US State Department have implemented stricter screening measures for international students, reinforcing the Trump administration’s efforts to control foreign admissions at American universities. These visa revocation plans come shortly after the Trump administration attempted to bar some international students from enrolling, a policy currently suspended by a federal judge amid ongoing legal challenges.
