Rubio US Secretary of State Predicts "Cancellation of Chinese Student Visas"

The US government, which has suspended visa interviews for prospective foreign students, has taken a strong measure to cancel the visas of Chinese students already studying in the United States.

On the 28th (local time), foreign media such as AP News reported that Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, had 'aggressively' begun canceling visas for some Chinese students, including those majoring in important subjects. Secretary Rubio announced that the US Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security would jointly cancel visas for Chinese students linked to the Chinese Communist Party or majoring in important subjects. He also stated that the visa application review for all students from China and Hong Kong would be strengthened in the future.

On this day, Secretary Rubio did not specifically mention important major subjects, but the US government has been concerned about Chinese scholars accessing sensitive US technology that could be used for military purposes.

AP News reported that some Republican members of the US House of Representatives have been pressuring to halt exchanges between Duke University and Chinese universities, stating that Chinese students are participating in research funded by federal government grants. Last year, they warned that sponsorship funds for defense research were flowing into research cooperation institutions linked to the Chinese government. Kristi Noem, the US Secretary of Homeland Security, pointed out that Harvard University is conducting joint research with scholars linked to the Chinese Communist Party.

China has sent the most students to the US for 15 consecutive years but fell to second place behind India last year. In the 2023-2024 academic year, about 270,000 students from China came to study, accounting for about a quarter of all foreign students.

CNN reported that many talented Chinese individuals went to study in the US expecting better education and career prospects, including children of the middle class and high-ranking officials in politics and business. Among them was the daughter of Xi Jinping, the President of China, who was known to have studied at Harvard University under an alias.

CNN reported that the Chinese Communist Party has about 99 million members and it is unclear how the US government will determine the connection of students.

jjyoon@fnnews.com Yoon Jae-jun Reporter