China says Trump’s student welcome preferable to harassment
Trump says that the US would allow 600,000 Chinese students into the country
[BEIJING] China said President Donald Trump welcoming a large number of students to the US was better than American officials bothering them at the border – a barb delivered as the nations resume talks aimed at addressing their differences.
“We hope the US will act on President Trump’s commitment to welcoming Chinese students to study in the country, stop groundlessly harassing, interrogating or repatriating Chinese students, and earnestly protect their legitimate and lawful rights and interests,” Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday (Aug 27).
“Exchanges and cooperation on education give a boost to interactions and understanding between peoples from all countries,” Guo said.
Trump said this week that the US would allow 600,000 Chinese students into the country, adding that “it’s very important.” Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US plans to start “aggressively” revoking visas for Chinese students over links to the ruling Communist Party or if they were in critical fields.
Trump later downplayed Rubio’s remarks but the episode rattled Chinese students, especially those who plan to spend years studying at American schools.
The 600,000 figure Trump floated would be more than double the roughly 277,000 Chinese students in the US in 2023-2024, according to the Institute of International Education.
China has alleged that some students from the country are hassled when they enter the US. On Monday, the nation’s embassy in Washington said students should be cautious when landing at the airport in Houston, alleging they faced “unwarranted interrogation and harassment” by customs officers.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security called the accusation untrue, Newsweek reported, and said that race was not a factor in why arrivals had issues at the border.
The spat comes as China sends Vice-Commerce Minister Li Chenggang to Washington to meet US officials. The world’s two biggest economies are in the midst of a 90-day truce in their dispute over trade, technology, fentanyl and oil purchases. BLOOMBERG
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