When President Donald Trump hinted at the possibility of opening the doors of U.S. universities to 600,000 students from China, it stirred a wave of discontent among his conservative following. This move stood in direct opposition to a series of policies introduced by his administration, including the increased scrutiny of student visas and a bid to curb foreign enrolment at prestigious institutions like Harvard. Furthermore, the administration has been steadily widening the criteria for cancelling the student permits of international learners.
The stand of Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been quite clear on this matter, particularly concerning China, which is the number two supplier of international students to America. In May, Rubio said that the State Department would cancel the visas of students connected to the Chinese Communist Party and intensify its screening process of new applicants.
Trump’s statement on Monday adds a layer of bewildering ambiguity to the administration’s tight visa regulations and their overall China strategy. As the two superpowers spar over both trade and rapidly escalating tech rivalry, this new development has given rise to much scepticism. Several of Trump’s most zealous followers disapproved of the thought of taking on additional Chinese students.
The White House and the State Department did not promptly offer any comments on the situation. During a sit-down with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the Oval Office on Monday, Trump fielded a press question about a potential meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“The Chinese President has expressed interest in meeting me in China. Our relationship bears considerable importance. We’ve managed to secure considerable revenue from China through tariffs and other measures,” he said.
U.S. enrollment of Chinese students, which had been growth trend for years, peaked in the 2019-2020 academic year with 372,532 students, just as the world was coming to terms with the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2022, enrollment had dropped to 289,526, and slid further to 277,398 by 2023.
Analysts predict a continued decline in these figures, largely due to strains in the U.S.-China diplomatic relationship and China’s shrinking population. A shared agreement among various political factions convey that U.S. educational institutions should avoid facilitating Beijing’s pursuit of expertise in critical domains such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and aerospace technology.
Trump’s tenure as president witnessed a policy forbidding Chinese postgraduate students who were alumni of educational institutions affiliated with the Chinese military. The decision to now allow a significant inflow of Chinese students seems to stir both confusion and discontent.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not readily communicate any reactions. However, it had previously denounced the U.S.’s actions as being discriminatory and politically-oriented, particularly in the context of ‘selective law enforcement’ against Chinese students coming to the U.S.
In addition, the embassy released a warning on Monday advising Chinese scholars to avoid entering the U.S. via Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The advisory was issued after several students had allegedly experienced unpleasant encounters and underwent lengthy questioning by immigration officials.
The embassy also reported an instance where a student was detained for more than 80 hours prior to being deported back to China.
The post Trump’s Suggestion of Inviting More Chinese Students Sparks Controversy appeared first on Real News Now.
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