US says it will start 'aggressively' revoking visas of Chinese students

Washington steps up scrutiny of China's state-sponsored influence at American unis

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WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on May 28 that America will start "aggressively" revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.

If applied to a broad segment of the hundreds of thousands of Chinese university students in the US, the move could disrupt a major source of income for American schools and a crucial pipeline of talent for US tech companies.

US President Donald Trump's administration has sought to ramp up deportations and revoke student visas as part of wide-ranging efforts to fulfill its hardline immigration agenda. It has also expanded social media vetting of foreign students.

In a statement, Mr. Rubio said the State Department will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from China and Hong Kong.

"The US State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students," he said.

Beijing said it firmly opposes the US plan to revoke visas for Chinese students and urged its Western rival to be more constructive towards stable bilateral relations, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on May 29.

China has lodged a protest over Mr. Rubio's announcement of the move.

The US used ideology and national security as "pretexts" for its decision, which harms the legitimate rights and interests of the students, ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing.