U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has declared that the country will “aggressively revoke” visas of Chinese students studying in America. The announcement comes as part of President Donald Trump’s administration’s ongoing efforts to tighten restrictions on foreign students in U.S. universities.
Rubio revealed the unexpected decision through a post on X and in an official State Department release issued Wednesday evening, titled “New Visa Policies Prioritize America Over China.”
U.S. Tightens Visa Rules for Chinese Students, Announces New Criteria
“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,” the statement said.
“We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong,” it added.
China is the second-largest country of origin for international students in the US, behind India. Chinese students made up roughly a quarter of all foreign students in the US during the 2023 – 2024 school year, at more than 270,000 in total.
Al Jazeera correspondent in Beijing Katrina Yu said many Chinese students in the US come from elite backgrounds and they are “very likely to have some Communist Party connection”.
“There are 90 million Communist Party members here in China. Most of them do not have a role in government and many of them are ordinary people,” she said. “It is likely that students from those families have connections with the Communist Party, even though they may not be a member themselves.”
The Chinese government is yet to publicly respond to the Trump administration’s move.
Rising U.S.-China Tensions Spark Crackdown on Academic Ties and Student Visas
The move targeting Chinese students comes amid escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing, following President Trump’s renewed trade accusations and imposition of tariffs after beginning his second term. U.S. House Republicans have raised alarms over collaborations between American and Chinese universities, labeling them a national security risk.
Recently, Michigan Representatives John Moolenaar and Tim Walberg urged Duke University to sever ties with China’s Wuhan University. They argued that the partnership could enable the transfer of sensitive technology, creating a “direct channel” from American innovation to China’s military-industrial sector.