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China urged the U.S. to welcome Chinese students and “stop unwarranted interrogations, harassment, and deportations.” This issue has intensified during President Donald Trump’s second term and is a point of friction between the world’s two largest economies.
Newsweek has contacted the State Department for comment.
Why It Matters
While U.S.-China relations have stabilized following recent trade talks, disagreements over student visas could undermine any progress. China is the second-largest source of international students in the U.S., behind India.
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The State Department reports that 277,398 Chinese students were enrolled in American universities last year.
What to Know
The U.S. is concerned about potential threats from China to national security and has taken a tougher stance on Chinese students under the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown.
Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, addressed these concerns at a press briefing on August 22, 2023:
Some Chinese students were interrogated in “small black rooms” for hours and detained for days to be questioned about matters unrelated to their studies.
“We urge the U.S. to face up to this problem, take China’s concerns seriously, and put into practice U.S. leaders’ stated welcome for Chinese students,” Mao said.
She also called on the U.S. to “stop unwarranted interrogations, harassment, and deportations targeting Chinese students and scholars.”
What People Are Saying
“China will continue to take strong measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of its citizens traveling to the U.S.” – Mao Ning at a Beijing briefing.
Denis Simon, non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute:
Framed as a national security precaution, the recent declaration by the Trump administration that visas held by Chinese students and scholars in the U.S. would be ‘aggressively’ revoked marks one of the most destructive policy assaults on the American higher education system in recent history.
What Happens Next
This issue is likely to be discussed if Chinese leader Xi Jinping meets Trump for a summit, though no date has been set. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated last month that “the odds are high” it would occur this year.
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