WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday vowed to “aggressively” revoke visas of Chinese students, one of the largest sources of revenue for American universities, in his latest broadside against US higher education.

The announcement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio marked a show of defiance after China criticised his decision a day earlier to suspend visa appointments for students worldwide at least temporarily.

The Trump administration has already sought to end permission for all international students at Harvard University, which has rebuffed pressure from the president related to student protests.

The United States will “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,” Rubio said in a statement.

Beijing condemns ‘discriminatory’ plan to revoke visas

“We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong,” he said. Young Chinese people have long been crucial to US universities, which rely on international students paying full tuition.

China sent 277,398 students in the 2023-24 academic year, altho­ugh India, for the first time in years, surpassed it, according to a State Department-backed report of the Institute of International Education.

Trump in his previous term also took aim at Chinese students but focused attention on those in sensitive fields or with explicit links with the military. It was unclear to what extent Rubio’s statement marked an escalation.

Chinese reaction

Beijing reacted in fury on Thursday at the US government’s vow to revoke Chinese students’ visas, condemning President Donald Trump’s crackdown on international scholars as “political and discriminatory”.

The US will also revise visa criteria to tighten checks on all future applications from China and Hong Kong, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. Blasting the US for “unreasonably” cancelling Chinese students’ visas, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Beijing had lodged its opposition with Washington.

Rubio had upped the ante after China criticised his decision a day earlier to suspend visa appointments for students worldwide at least temporarily.

Young Chinese people have long been crucial to US universities, which rely on international students paying full tuition.

Global uncertainty

China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Wednesday said Beijing urged Washington to “safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of international students, including those from China.” Rubio has already trumpeted the revocation of thousands of visas, largely to international students who were involved in activism critical of Israel.

A cable signed by Rubio on Tuesday ordered US embassies and consulates not to allow “any additional student or exchange visa… appointment capacity until further guidance is issued” on ramping up screening of applicants’ social media accounts.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2025