U.S. Shuts Door on Chinese Students

Tensions between Washington and Beijing have spilled over into education. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. will begin aggressively revoking visas of Chinese students, particularly those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in sensitive fields.

Rubio stated that the State Department will coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security:

“We will also review visa criteria to ensure stricter scrutiny of applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong.”

Earlier this week, the State Department instructed U.S. embassies worldwide to halt all student visa appointments. During this process, expanded social media checks on student applicants will also be implemented.

The number of Chinese students in the U.S. has declined from a peak of 370,000 in 2019 to 277,000 in 2024—attributed to rising tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

Source: IHA / Sabah