Washington's plan to revoke Chinese students' visas slammed

China condemned on Thursday a United States' plan to "aggressively revoke visas of Chinese students", warning that such "politically motivated and discriminatory" actions would only further undermine the international image and national credibility of the US.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning made the remarks after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that the US State Department would work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Communist Party of China and studying in "critical fields".

According to a news statement, the US will also revise visa criteria to enhance the scrutiny of all future visa applications from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.

"The move by the US, under the pretext of ideology and national security, to unreasonably cancel the visas of Chinese students seriously infringes upon their legitimate rights and interests, and disrupts normal people-to-people exchanges between the two countries," Mao said at a regular news briefing.

China, the second-largest source of international students in the US after India, sent approximately 277,000 students to the US during the 2023-24 academic year.

Beijing has lodged solemn representations with Washington, Mao noted, adding that such acts expose the hypocrisy behind the US' long-touted values of freedom and openness.

When asked whether it could have broader spillover effects on bilateral ties, Mao said that China's position on Sino-US relations is consistent and it hopes that Washington will take more constructive actions to promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of the ties.

Rubio's announcement represents the latest and drastic move to curtail the number of international students studying in the US. It followed his order for US embassies worldwide to halt student visa appointments amid consideration of enhanced social media vetting.

Scholars have expressed concern that the politicization of the visa policy reflects not only Washington's deep-seated anxiety over China's development but also a broader agenda of pressure and confrontation.

"Beyond intensifying pressure in the economic and trade arenas, the US has manipulated visa policies in an attempt to gain leverage in negotiations with China," said Lyu Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "This reflects what the US sees as 'comprehensive pressure' in pursuit of greater strategic advantage."

Noting that the term "critical fields "mainly refers to high-tech sectors, Zhang Tengjun, deputy director of the China Institute of International Studies' Department for American Studies, said the US has increasingly weaponized educational and cultural exchanges, a trend that could expand.

zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn