The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the decision by the US military to revoke the visas of about 1,000 Chinese students was "tantamount to total political persecution and racial discrimination."
Spokesman Xiao Lijian's statement came a
day after Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said his department had
"visa bans for some Chinese graduate students and researchers involved in
China's military fusion strategy." So that they can prevent theft and
otherwise allocate sensitive research. "
Wolff said China was misusing US student
visas to exploit American academia.
A State Department spokesman later reduced
the number of visas to 1,000.
Xiao said the move "harmed the
legitimate rights and interests of Chinese students studying in the United
States."
"This is utter political persecution
and racial discrimination, and the human rights of Chinese students studying
there have been seriously violated," Xiao said.
US-China relations are at their lowest
point in decades amid tensions over trade, technology, intellectual property
and other issues.
Along with the graduates, the Trump
administration has accused some journalists working for Chinese state media in
the United States of spreading pro-government propaganda or spying altogether.
Chinese students make up the largest group
of foreign students in American colleges and universities, with approximately
37,370,000 admissions. New visa restrictions and the global coronavirus epidemic have already created considerable uncertainty about their educational
future in the United States.
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