The official Chinese newspaper claimed that hundreds of Chinese graduate students were denied visas to study at top universities in the United States, which is a kind of “discrimination and suppression.”
It puts the Trump administration’s legislation aimed at curbing students related to Beijing’s so-called “military-civilian integration strategy” under the spotlight.
China DailyThe CCP’s mouthpiece accused Washington of playing a “hypocritical” role and encouraged American universities to recruit Chinese students, but failed to issue visas to more than 500 students admitted to so-called “STEM” majors. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects.
The newspaper said on Tuesday that these students have been admitted to universities such as Harvard University, Yale University, Johns Hopkins University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for doctoral and master’s degrees. The report stated that these students were rejected under the Immigration and Nationality Act and Presidential Proclamation No. 10043.
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Visa rules were introduced under the leadership of the former president in May 2020 Donald TrumpIts government accuses Beijing of using students to obtain “sensitive American technology and intellectual property”, partly to improve “its military, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) capabilities.”
but China Daily Said that about a quarter of Chinese students who were refused visas received scholarships, most of which submitted visa applications after the new president took office Joe Biden Took office.
The newspaper reported that the affected people have signed a letter jointly urging the US government to “solve this problem of discrimination and suppression against Chinese students.”
It said that, given that the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in China resumed the operation of student visa applications in early May, Washington looked like it was trying to help satisfy the university’s desire to attract Chinese students.
However, the paper stated that the Biden administration “continued the Trump administration’s wrong policy of suppressing Chinese graduate students and scholars.”
At the same time, the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zhao Lijian Calling on the Biden administration to relax visa restrictions, “this continues the toxic legacy of the Trump administration.”
“This is inconsistent with the US claim that it welcomes Chinese students,” Zhao said, adding that Beijing has “made solemn representations to the US.”
Zhu Zhiqun, professor of political science and international relations at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, said that he does not expect the visa policy for STEM graduate students to change soon, “as long as the Biden administration continues to portray China as an existential threat to the national interests of the United States. “
However, it “may face increasing pressure from China and American higher education institutions to reverse the policies of the Trump era,” Zhu told Weekly newspaper.
“As long as the United States and China compete in technology, the Biden administration or any future government may maintain restrictive visa policies for these students.”
“On the other hand, if the United States is seen as an unpopular country, more Chinese students may look for other study destinations,” he added.
American lawmakers, especially Chinese hawks Republicans, Has been worried for a long time Beijing is exerting an unwelcome influence on American campuses.
In February of this year, a group of Republican lawmakers criticized the Biden administration for withdrawing a proposed rule requiring campuses to disclose links to the Confucius Institute America Center. They accused the rule of promoting Chinese propaganda.
The center stated that it only helped hundreds of K-12 schools and dozens of universities in the United States with Chinese language and culture courses.
Weekly newspaper The White House has been contacted for comments.
