China condemns US discriminatory plan

Beijing. Beijing reacted furiously yesterday to the U.S. government's promise to revoke Chinese student visas, calling President Donald Trump's move against foreign students "political and discriminatory."

The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it will eliminate permits for Chinese students.

The US will also review visa criteria to tighten controls on all future visa applications from China and Hong Kong, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning called the decision "irrational."

"The United States has unreasonably revoked the visas of Chinese students under the pretext of ideology and (protection of) national rights," a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said at a press conference.

"This discriminatory political practice by the United States has exposed the lies of the so-called freedom and openness that the United States has always promoted, and has further damaged its own international image, national image, and credibility," the Chinese spokesperson said.

Rubio doubled down on cracking down on foreign students after China criticized his decision to temporarily suspend visa processing for students from around the world.

More than 277,398 Chinese students were enrolled in the 2023-24 academic year, second only to Indian students, according to a report by the State Department-backed Institute of International Education.

According to an internal memo signed Tuesday by Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, and obtained by El Economista, the government plans to examine the social media profiles of foreigners seeking to study at U.S. universities.

In the same circular, it orders embassies and consulates not to allow "any additional student or exchange visas (...) until further guidelines are issued."

“Hasty decision”

"This US policy may seem like a hasty decision, but it has had an immeasurably devastating impact," Bi Jingxin, a university student in Beijing, told AFP.

"If we Chinese want to study in the United States, it's because the most important thing is its cutting-edge faculties and academic achievements," said Bi, 21.

Rubio's proposals, he added, show that Washington "is not behaving in a way that is conducive to the dissemination of the United States' international academic image."

"It seems Trump and his team are acting recklessly, without considering the consequences," Bi said.

Elsewhere on the campus of Beijing Foreign Studies University—one of the country's most prestigious universities—the mood was extraordinarily somber.

"If (the United States) is targeting us so heavily, it's affecting my top choices (for studying abroad), as well as my impression of the United States," said Zhang Yue, 23.

Although she might have previously considered studying at an American university, "now, my expectations for (the country) have decreased," she told AFP, adding that she might now opt for a European adventure instead.