Washington (AP) – President Donald Trump It appears to have decorated his loyal, conservative base, sparking backlash, saying that it would allow 600,000 Chinese students to American universities.
That’s the departure for the Trump administration after it’s added New examination If you have a student visa, you will be redirected Block foreigners registration Harvard University expanded its grounds Finishing the ability of international students Studying in the US.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has selected China, the second-highest international student in the United States. I’m saying it in May The State Department will cancel student visas linked to the Chinese Communist Party and promote review of new applicants.
Trump’s announcement on Monday adds to confusion over the administration Limited visa policy And its approach to China as a superpower is a stir over trade and technological competition. I’ll mark that too Another split in Trump’s “make America great again” basepromoted and had “America’s first” agenda. It fought against the US to insert itself In the recent Israeli-Iran War.
Some of Trump’s most enthusiastic supporters have rejected the idea of welcoming more Chinese students, from US Congressman Marjorie Taylor Green to former advisor Steve Bannon and far-right activist Laura Rumer.
It is not immediately clear why the person Trump quoted was so expensive. More than twice as many Chinese students as of 2023-24 were registered. The total has also declined over the past few years. The White House and the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Here’s what you need to know about Trump’s announcement and reaction:
What did Trump say about Chinese students?
meanwhile Meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung In the oval office on Monday, Trump was asked by a reporter if he would meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“President XI wants me to come to China. That’s a very important relationship. You know, we receive a lot of money from China for tariffs and things different,” he said. “We hear a lot of stories of ‘We don’t allow students’, but we do allow students to enter. We allow it. That’s very important – 600,000 students.”
Trump doubled down on Rubio at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, where he said he was “honored” to have Chinese students in the United States and helped the university float.
“I told President XI that I am honored to have students here,” Trump said. “Now, we’ll check, we’ll be careful and see who’s there.”
China’s Foreign Ministry also said Trump told XI in a June phone call that “America loves Chinese students coming to study in America.”
That was a shift after the State Department announced in late May that it would “actively cancel visas for Chinese students, including Chinese Communist Party ties and students studying in important fields.”
How many Chinese students will come to the US?
After decades of growth, Number of Chinese Students In the US, the Covid-19 pandemic peaked at 372,532 in the 2019-2020 academic year. This number slid to 289,526 in 2022 and was immersed in an additional 277,398 in 2023.
The past year, including several US universities University of Michiganhas ended a joint partnership with Chinese universities after Republicans raised concerns The US dollar contributes to China’s technological advancement and military modernization.
Experts say the number of students is likely to drop even further due to strained US-China relations and China’s declining population.
There is a growing bipartisan consensus that US schools should not help train Beijing’s top talent in key areas such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and aerospace technology.
Kurt Campbell, the Biden administration’s secretary of state, says he wants to see Chinese students come to the United States to study the humanities and social sciences “not particle physics.”
During his first term, Trump banned Chinese graduate students who attended school due to Chinese military ties.
How do Trump supporters respond?
Bannon, one of Trump’s former advisers, criticized the announcement on Tuesday, saying, “There should be no foreign students here at the moment.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was asked on Fox News’ “Ingraham’s Angle” on Monday how such a shift coincided with Trump’s “America-first” push. Lutnick claimed Trump was taking a “rational economic view” and that 15% of American universities and universities would go out of business without those foreign students.
“I don’t understand that for my life. They are 600,000 spots that American kids don’t get,” host Laura Ingraham said.
Green, a Republican lawmaker from Georgia, raised the question.
“If these Chinese students refuse to attend our schools, if 15% of them refuse to fail, these schools should fail anyway because they are supported by the CCP,” Green said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.
What does China say about student visa restrictions?
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. The Foreign Office called on the US to say it is a “discriminatory, politically driven, selective law enforcement” to Chinese students who have arrived in the US.
Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said on Friday that students were mistreated and subjected to extended interrogation. Mao said some students were banned from entering the country after being revoked their visas and were told they could “have risks national security.”
“The US moves severely violate the legitimate and legal rights and interests of Chinese citizens, hinder the flow of people between the two countries and suppress the exchange between China and people,” she said.
The embassy issued an advisory Monday urging Chinese students not to enter the United States through George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. The embassy said at least one student was detained for more than 80 hours before being sent back to China.
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This story was revised to revise the surname of the Secretary of Commerce’s surname to Rutnik instead of Rutnik.
