The US Considers Canceling Thousands Of Chinese Graduate Students Visas
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President Trump speaks at the White House on May 28. Photo: AP . |
The Trump administration
may be about to cancel visas for thousands of Chinese graduate students
studying at US universities, and impose sanctions on Chinese officials.
President Trump said he
would issue a statement on China on May 29, the latest in tensions
between Washington and Beijing in many ways, including the Covid-19 epidemic,
the trade war, Hong Kong or East Sea.
The US government is
considering a proposal that has been in place for months now to cancel visas
for students from Chinese schools connected with the Chinese military or
intelligence.
The proposal, discussed
last year, is not directly related to the conflict between the two countries
over Hong Kong or the Covid-19 epidemic, but concerns trade and human rights
issues.
The first move in the plan
was made last year when the US asked Chinese diplomats in the United States to
report travel and meetings with American scholars. The US side says this
is a response to what US diplomats face when working in China.
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump is
also considering travel and financial limits targeting Chinese officials,
according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
This travel and financial
sanctions are a direct response to the security bill for Hong Kong. US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo previously determined that Hong Kong no longer
had the autonomy that Beijing had promised in its "one-country, two-regime"
commitment, and so Hong Kong no longer received special incentives from the US.
America.
The proposal to cancel the
student visa, first reported by the New York Times, has faced opposition
from US universities. The revenue of American schools is heavily based on
Chinese students. In addition, the schools are concerned that Beijing will
respond, making the access and research on China of students and professors
limited.
"We are very concerned about how this regulation will apply, and we are afraid it will send the message that we are not welcoming talented students and scholars from around the world."
Said Sarah Spreitzer, from
US Board of Education.
She said there is not much
detail on how the US government will determine which students are from schools
connected to the Chinese military or intelligence. But, for example, if a
country imposes limits on US universities that receive funding from the US
Department of Defense, there may be quite a few.
Recognizing the concern of
the schools, US officials say all limits will be quite narrow, targeting only
students who pose a significant risk of espionage or intellectual property
theft. US officials do not say how many students will have their visas
canceled, but said that number will only represent a small percentage of the
total number of Chinese students.
The United States had
133,396 graduate students from China in the 2018-2019 academic year, accounting
for 36.1% of all postgraduate international students, according to the
Institute of International Education.
The total number of Chinese
students is 369,548, accounting for 33.7% of the total international
students. Total international students contributed US $ 15
billion to the US economy in 2018.
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