Trump bristles at "Taco trade" that bets on him backing down

While not directly related to trade, US actions will not be viewed kindly by China: Experts

- Lim Min Zhang

BEIJING - Barely three weeks after Washington and Beijing reached a truce in their trade war, the Trump administration has moved to revoke the visas of Chinese students studying in the US and restrict the export of key technologies for jet engines and semiconductors to China.

While not directly related to trade issues, the latest US moves — aimed squarely at China — will not be viewed kindly by Beijing, analysts say, and could also invite Chinese retaliation that would damage conditions for future economic talks.

US-China ties have already been volatile under US President Donald Trump's second term. But in a ramp-up of pressure against China on May 29, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the government will "aggressively" revoke visas for Chinese students and tighten scrutiny of future applicants from China.

The Trump administration's previous moves against international students, such as the termination of the records of about 1,800 students in April, which jeopardized their visa statuses, did not specifically target those from China.

Shanghai-based international relations scholar Shen Dingli noted that the children of many Chinese leaders study in the US. The latest move is akin to "striking at China's weakness", he told The Straits Times.

As at 2024, there were about 277,000 Chinese students in the US — the highest of any country besides India, with around 331,000.

On May 29, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning issued a strongly worded response to the visa revocation move, which Mr Rubio said includes students who have "connections to the Chinese Communist Party or (are) studying in critical fields".

She said: "The US has unreasonably cancelled visas for Chinese students under the pretext of ideology and national security, severely infringed upon the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese students and disrupted normal people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.