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Fast Company
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Fast Company
Trump administration's shifting stance on Chinese student visas has broader consequences
President Donald Trump appears to have walked back plans for the U.S. State Department to scrutinize and revoke visas for Chinese students studying in the country. On June 11, 2025, Trump posted on his social media platform TruthSocial that visas for Chinese students would continue and that they are welcome in the United States, as their presence 'has always been good with me!' The announcement came weeks after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that his department would begin scrutinizing and revoking student visas for Chinese nationals with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, or whose studies are in critical fields. The contradictory moves have led to confusion among Chinese students attending college or considering studying in the United States. Over time, Chinese nationals have faced barriers to studying in the U.S. As a scholar who studies relations between the two nations, I argue that efforts to ban Chinese students in the United States are not unprecedented, and historically they have come with consequences. Student visas under fire Since the late 1970s, millions of Chinese students have been granted visas to study at American universities. That total includes approximately 277,000 who studied in the United States in the 2023–2024 academic year. It is difficult to determine how many of these students would have been affected by a ban on visas for individuals with Chinese Community Party affiliations or in critical fields. Approximately 40% of all new members of the Chinese Communist Party each year are drawn from China's student population. And many universities in China have party connections or charters that emphasize party loyalty. The 'critical fields' at risk were not defined. A majority of Chinese students in the U.S. are enrolled in math, technology, science, and engineering fields. A long history Yung Wing became the first Chinese student to graduate from a U.S. university in 1852. Since then, millions of Chinese students have come to the United States to study, supported by programs such as the ' Chinese Educational Mission,' Boxer Indemnity Fund scholarships, and the Fulbright Program. The Institute for International Education in New York estimated the economic impact of Chinese students in the U.S. at over US$14 billion a year. Chinese students tend to pay full tuition to their universities. At the graduate level, they perform vital roles in labs and classrooms. Just under half of all Chinese students attending college in the U.S. are graduate students. However, there is a long history of equating Chinese migrants as invaders, spies or risks to national security. After the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, the U.S. Department of Justice began to prevent Chinese scholars and students in STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and math—from returning to China by stopping them at U.S. ports of entry and exit. They could be pulled aside when trying to board a flight or ship and their tickets canceled. In one infamous case, Chinese rocket scientist Qian Xuesen was arrested, harassed, ordered deported, and prevented from leaving over five years from 1950 to 1955. In 1955, the United States and China began ambassadorial-level talks to negotiate repatriations from either country. After his experience, Qian became a much-lauded supporter of the Communist government and played an important role in the development of Chinese transcontinental missile technology. During the 1950s, the U.S. Department of Justice raided Chinatown organizations looking for Chinese migrants who arrived under false names during the Chinese Exclusion Era, a period from the 1880s to 1940s when the U.S. government placed tight restrictions on Chinese immigration into the country. A primary justification for the tactics was fear that the Chinese in the U.S. would spy for their home country. Between 1949 and 1979, the U.S and China did not have normal diplomatic relations. The two nations recognized each other and exchanged ambassadors starting in January 1979. In the more than four decades since, the number of Chinese students in the U.S. has increased dramatically. Anti-Chinese discrimination The idea of an outright ban on Chinese student visas has raised concerns about increased targeting of Chinese in the U.S. for harassment. In 1999, Taiwanese-American scientist Wen Ho Lee was arrested on suspicion of using his position at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico to spy for China. Lee remained imprisoned in solitary confinement for 278 days before he was released without a conviction. In 2018, during the first Trump administration, the Department of Justice launched its China Initiative. In its effort to weed out industrial, technological, and corporate espionage, the initiative targeted many ethnic Chinese researchers and had a chilling effect on continued exchanges, but it secured no convictions for wrongdoing. Trump again expressed concerns last year that undocumented migrants from China might be coming to the United States to spy or 'build an army.' The repeated search for spies among Chinese migrants and residents in the U.S. has created an atmosphere of fear for Chinese American communities. Broader foreign policy context The U.S. plan to revoke visas for students studying in the U.S. and the Chinese response is being formed amid contentious debates over trade. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian accused the U.S. of violating an agreement on tariff reduction the two sides discussed in Geneva in May, citing the visa issues as one example. Trump has also complained that the Chinese violated agreements between the countries, and some reports suggest that the announcement on student visas was a negotiating tactic to change the Chinese stance on the export of rare earth minerals. When Trump announced his trade deal with China on June 11, he added a statement welcoming Chinese students. However, past practice shows that the atmosphere of uncertainty and suspicion may have already damaged the climate for Chinese international students, and at least some degree of increased scrutiny of student visas will likely continue regardless.
New York Times
07-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Chinese Students Reconsider the U.S. as Republicans Threaten Their Visas
Over lunch at the University of Texas at Austin, a professor from China and two Chinese students spoke dispiritedly this week of the directive issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to 'aggressively revoke' visas of Chinese nationals studying in 'critical fields.' They also talked about a Republican bill in Congress that would ban Chinese student visas to the United States. Even if such matters never come to pass, said Xiaobo Lü, a professor of government at the university in Austin, 'the damage is already being done.' 'Chinese students are practical,' he said. 'They now have to consider whether, if they come to America, their studies will be disrupted. There's no removing that uncertainty. That ship has sailed.' The two students accompanying Dr. Lü to lunch, who asked not to be named for fear that their visa status might be at risk, described several recent conversations with Chinese friends. One had decided to turn down offers at two prestigious American journalism schools and had opted instead for the program at the University of Hong Kong. Another said no to a coveted slot at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in favor of a modest local government job. A third Chinese friend, currently studying at Johns Hopkins University, is mulling whether to pack his bags and finish his degree back home. Their accounts align with sentiments shared by a senior academic official at the University of Texas, who said that several excellent graduate school candidates from China had withdrawn their applications. The official added that a number of Chinese students on the Austin campus were afraid to criticize the measures. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he shared those fears. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Al Arabiya
31-05-2025
- General
- Al Arabiya
Trump says Chinese students in US will ‘be ok'
US President Donald Trump told reporters late Friday he wanted to assure Chinese international students in the country that they would be fine amid his administration's crackdown on academia. Trump's administration this week said it would specifically target permissions for Chinese students, in its latest broadside against US higher education. But when asked Friday what message he would send to Chinese college students in the country, Trump insisted: 'They're going to be ok. It's going to work out fine.' 'We just want to check out the individual students we have. And that's true with all colleges,' he told reporters. The softer tone comes after a judge on Thursday extended a temporary block on Trump's bid to prevent Harvard from enrolling international students. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed on Wednesday to 'aggressively' revoke visas to students from China. Rubio has already yanked thousands of visas, largely over students' involvement in activism critical of Israel's offensive in Gaza, but also over minor traffic violations and other infractions. The Trump administration has been in an ongoing showdown with academia, and Harvard in particular, demanding it provide a list of students that the government is interested in—something the prestigious university has declined to do. 'I don't know why Harvard's not giving us the list. There's something going on because Harvard is not giving us a list,' Trump said Friday. 'They ought to give us a list and get themselves out of trouble,' he insisted, suggesting that 'they don't want to give the list because they have names on there that supposedly are quite bad.' At graduation ceremonies this week, Harvard University President Alan Garber received a one-minute standing ovation when he called for universities to stand 'firm' in the war the Trump administration has waged against students and schools. 'We want people that can love our country and take care of our country and cherish our country,' Trump said Friday. International students on average make up just under six percent of the US university population—far below Britain, the second top destination for international students, where the figure is 25 percent.
Reuters
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US will not tolerate Chinese 'exploitation' of universities, theft of research, says State Dept
WASHINGTON, May 29 (Reuters) - The United States will not tolerate "exploitation" of American universities by the Chinese Communist Party or theft of U.S. research and intellectual property, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Thursday. In a briefing at the State Department, Bruce declined to provide numbers for how many Chinese students would be affected by a new plan to "aggressively" revoke visas announced on Wednesday, but said officials would scrutinize anyone "deemed to be a threat to the country or a problem." She declined to detail how those who pose a threat would be determined. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, announcing the new crackdown, said it would target students including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or studying in critical fields. "When it comes to keeping America safe, the United States, I further can say here, will not tolerate the CCP's exploitation of U.S. universities or theft of U.S. research intellectual property or technologies to grow its military power, conduct intelligence collection or repress voices of opposition," Bruce said. The announcement on Chinese student visa holders came after the Trump administration ordered its missions all over the world to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants. Asked when appointments would come back online, Bruce did not say but recommended that applicants continue checking the U.S. visa system for new appointments.
Malay Mail
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Beijing slams Trump's visa crackdown on Chinese students as ‘political and discriminatory'
BEIJING, May 29 — Mary Yang with Shaun Tandon in Washington and Gregory Walton in Cambridge, Massachusetts Beijing reacted in fury today at the US government's vow to revoke Chinese students' visas, condemning President Donald Trump's crackdown on international scholars as 'political and discriminatory'. Trump's administration on Wednesday said it would 'aggressively' remove permissions for Chinese students, one of the largest sources of revenue for American universities, in his latest broadside against US higher education. The US will also revise visa criteria to tighten checks on all future applications from China and Hong Kong, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. Blasting the US for 'unreasonably' cancelling Chinese students' visas, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Beijing had lodged its opposition with Washington. Rubio had upped the ante after China criticised his decision a day earlier to suspend visa appointments for students worldwide at least temporarily. The Trump administration has already sought to end permission for all international students at Harvard University, which has rebuffed pressure from the president related to student protests. Young Chinese people have long been crucial to US universities, which rely on international students paying full tuition. China sent 277,398 students in the 2023-24 academic year, although India for the first time in years surpassed it, according to a State Department-backed report of the Institute of International Education. Trump in his previous term also took aim at Chinese students but focused attention on those in sensitive fields or with explicit links with the military. Global uncertainty Beijing's Mao on Wednesday said that China urged the United States to 'safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of international students, including those from China.' Rubio has already trumpeted the revocation of thousands of visas, largely to international students who were involved in activism critical of Israel. A cable signed by Rubio on Tuesday ordered US embassies and consulates not to allow 'any additional student or exchange visa... appointment capacity until further guidance is issued' on ramping up screening of applicants' social media accounts. On Wednesday, Rubio heaped pressure on China, saying Washington will 'aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields. 'We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong,' he said. But the slew of measures also threaten to pressure students from countries friendly to the United States. In Taiwan, a PhD student set to study in California complained of 'feeling uncertain' by the visa pause. 'I understand the process may be delayed but there is still some time before the semester begins in mid-August,' said the 27-year-old student who did not want to be identified. 'All I can do now is wait and hope for the best.' Protests at Harvard Trump is furious at Harvard for rejecting his administration's push for oversight on admissions and hiring, amid the president's claims the school is a hotbed of anti-Semitism and 'woke' liberal ideology. A judge paused the order to bar foreign students pending a hearing scheduled for Thursday, the same day as the university's graduation ceremony for which thousands of students and their families had gathered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The White House has also stripped Harvard, as well as other US universities widely considered among the world's most elite, of federal funding for research. 'The president is more interested in giving that taxpayer money to trade schools and programmes and state schools where they are promoting American values, but most importantly, educating the next generation based on skills that we need in our economy and our society,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Fox News. Some Harvard students were worried that the Trump administration's policies would make US universities less attractive to international students. 'I don't know if I'd pursue a PhD here. Six years is a long time,' said Jack, a history of medicine student from Britain who is graduating this week and gave only a first name. Harvard has filed extensive legal challenges against Trump's measures. — Reuters
