On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters that the decision from the US State Department to start revoking the visas earlier this week was an "unreasonable decision" to be made "under the pretext of ideology and national security."
Per Newsweek, Mao added, "China firmly rejects this and has lodged protests with the US side. Such a politicized and discriminatory move lays bare the US lie that it upholds so-called freedom and openness and will only further undermine its image in the world and national reputation.”
Despite the distaste from China, the Trump administration remains firm that the measures are necessary to protect American interests.
For years, Chinese students have made up a large portion of the international students in the US, the New York Times reported. In the 2023 to 2024 term, there were approximately 277,000 international Chinese students studying in the United States.
The outlet reported that some Chinese students are reconsidering their travel plans after the announcement was made by the Trump administration.
In a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio released the State Department earlier this week, he said, "Under President Trump’s leadership, the US State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to 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."
