China has issued a strong protest after the United States declared it would "aggressively" revoke the visas of Chinese students studying at American universities.
On Thursday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally objected to the move, responding to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s announcement made the day before. Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese government, slammed the Trump administration, accusing it of hiding behind national security and ideological excuses to justify what she called an "unreasonable" decision.
“This action has seriously harmed the legitimate rights of Chinese students and disrupted the cultural exchanges that have long connected our two nations,” Mao said. She didn’t stop there—calling out the United States for its hypocrisy, she declared, “This politically driven, discriminatory move exposes the false narrative of so-called freedom and openness the US always promotes. It’s a blow to America’s international image and credibility.”
Rubio’s statement put the spotlight on students from China and Hong Kong, who represent one of the largest sources of tuition revenue for US colleges. His remarks followed a controversial move just one day prior when the State Department suspended visa appointments for students globally—at least temporarily. This came on the heels of another flashpoint: the Trump administration’s attempt to revoke international student privileges at Harvard University, which resisted White House pressure.
Rubio made it clear: the US will aggressively cancel visas for Chinese students, particularly those tied to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in sensitive academic fields. He also announced plans to tighten visa rules and boost scrutiny for all future applicants from mainland China and Hong Kong.
For decades, Chinese students have been a vital lifeline for American higher education, often paying full international tuition. During the 2023–24 academic year, China sent over 277,000 students to the US, although India surpassed that number for the first time, according to the Institute of International Education, which is backed by the US State Department.
During his first term, Trump also targeted Chinese scholars, but focused mainly on those studying military-adjacent fields or with known links to China’s armed forces. It remains unclear whether Rubio’s latest push represents a deeper escalation.
On Wednesday, Mao said that Beijing had directly called on Washington to “protect the legal rights of all international students, including those from China.”
Rubio has also boasted about canceling thousands of visas, mainly of foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian activism. A diplomatic cable signed by Rubio on Tuesday instructed all US embassies and consulates to freeze student and exchange visa appointments until new rules are issued, particularly rules increasing the monitoring of social media accounts. This move could also strain relations with countries traditionally friendly to the US.
Meanwhile, Trump has taken aim at Harvard, furious over its refusal to comply with his administration’s push for more control over admissions and hiring. He’s accused the university of promoting “woke” liberal ideologies and fostering antisemitism.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the order to bar foreign students, with a hearing set for Thursday—the same day as Harvard’s graduation, attended by thousands of families in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Adding fuel to the fire, the White House has also stripped federal research funding from Harvard and other top-tier US universities considered globally elite. In response, Harvard has launched an aggressive legal battle to push back against Trump’s sweeping measures.