The U.S. revokes Chinese student visas, making some people worry about the future – Country
Chinese students studying in the United States are scrambling to figure out their future after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday that some of them will be revoked.
The announcement said the United States will begin revoking visas for some Chinese students, including students studying in “key areas” and “people with connections to the Chinese Communist Party.”
China is the second largest country of origin for international students in the United States, second only to India. During the 2023-2024 school year, 270,000 international students are from China, and about one-quarter of them are foreign students from the United States.
Liqin, a Chinese student at Johns Hopkins University, said Rubio's announcement was “a new version of China's exclusion bill” and he was identified by his name only for fear of revenge. He refers to a 19th-century law that prohibits Chinese people from immigrating to the United States and prohibits the United States from already obtaining citizenship in the United States. Wednesday was the first time he considered leaving the United States after spending one-third of his time here.
Chinese international students are nervous
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said the US decision was unreasonable.
“This politicized and discriminatory action reveals American lies to maintain so-called freedom and openness,” she said.
The issue of Chinese students studying overseas has long been a tension in bilateral relations. In 2019, during Trump's first semester, the Chinese Ministry of Education warned students about visa issues in the United States, with the rise in rejection rates and shorter visas.
Last year, the Chinese Foreign Ministry protested that many Chinese students were unfairly questioned when they arrived at U.S. airports and sent them home.
Chinese state media have long hyped gun violence and violent protests during the pandemic in the United States and portrayed the United States as a dangerous place to be unsafe to citizens. Tensional bilateral relations also mean that some Chinese students choose to study in the UK or other countries in the United States after the pandemic.
Zou Renge, a 27-year-old master's student in public policy at the University of Chicago, said she plans to take leave after graduation at the end of this year and work in humanitarian aid programs abroad.
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But now, she will avoid leaving the United States and seeking a job in the meantime. “In a very uncertain environment, I will try my best to find solutions,” she said.
Hong Kong tries to attract talent in uncertainty
Some are eager to take advantage of the U.S. leader John Lee told lawmakers Thursday that the city will welcome any student discriminated against U.S. policy to study in the city.
“Students facing unfair treatment may come from different countries outside the United States and I think this is an opportunity for Hong Kong,” he said. “We will work with our universities to provide the best support and help.”
This is because after the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) invited Harvard students to “continue their academic pursuits”, Trump said it would revoke the university's ability to accept international students, which is after that.
Other Hong Kong universities, including the University of Hong Kong and City University of Hong Kong, also said they will simplify or promote applications from international students from top U.S. universities.
Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to China in 1997 and is a popular destination for mainland Chinese students to obtain a university degree due to their international image and relative freedom.
The city launched a new visa program in 2022 to oppose Beijing’s imposition of a national security law to calm objections and common exodus from expats and local professionals following the National Security Law that occurred during the 19th pandemic.
Will Kwong, managing director of AAS Education Consulting in Hong Kong, said his company is helping students provide offers from American universities to apply to other institutions, mainly in the UK and Australia, so that they have other options.
Students say we are known for our diversity and that hurts it.
“Having less international exchanges is definitely not conducive to the development of the United States,” said Zhang Da, a postdoctoral researcher in Beijing. “This may be a positive change in China's development. People who are increasingly talented may choose to stay at Tsinghua or Peking University, or join the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other top institutions in China, which will benefit the development of domestic science and technology.”
For many, they can hardly do it because they are waiting for the consequences of the move now.
Chen, a Chinese student at Purdue University, has been anxiously awaiting visa approval in China, named only for concerns about the Trump administration’s retaliation. But he was also angry and said it was the exact opposite of what he thought was the representation of the United States.
“I look forward to freedom and tolerance. America is known for its diversity, which allows international students to adapt, but unfortunately see this change,” he said.
–Fu Ting reported from WU of Washington from Washington. Associated Press researcher Shihuan Chen and Beijing-based video producer Olivia Zhang contributed to the report.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
