'Lies of freedom, openness': China slams US after Rubio said revoking visas for Chinese students

China has slammed the United States for “unreasonably” revoking visas of Chinese students and said it has formally lodged a protest over the decision.

The response came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the US would be "aggressively" revoking visas for Chinese students.

In response to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statement that the US will revoke visas for Chinese students, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday that China has lodged representations with the US side. This political and discriminatory action… pic.twitter.com/e7pG6LRE00

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) May 29, 2025

“The US has unreasonably cancelled Chinese students’ visas under the pretext of ideology and national security,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. “China firmly opposes this and has lodged formal representations with the US.”

Rubio posted on X that the US will begin revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with links to the Chinese Communist Party or those studying in critical fields.

China remains at the centre of former President Trump’s global trade war, which has rattled financial markets, disrupted supply chains, and sparked fears of a global economic slowdown.

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The number of Chinese students in the US fell to around 277,000 in 2024, down from a peak of 370,000 in 2019. The decline is largely attributed to rising tensions between the US and China and stricter visa checks by US authorities.

New guidelines from the US State Department are adding more checks on international students, as part of Trump’s wider effort to tighten control over foreign admissions in US universities.

The announcement came days after the Trump administration moved to block Harvard University from enrolling any international students, a decision that has been put on hold by a federal judge, pending a lawsuit.