US vows to 'aggressively' oust Chinese students

President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday vowed to "aggressively" revoke visas of Chinese students, one of the largest sources of revenue for American universities, in his latest broadside against US higher education.

The announcement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio comes after China criticized his decision a day earlier to suspend visa appointments for students worldwide at least temporarily.

The Trump administration has already sought to end permission for all international students at Harvard University, which has rebuffed pressure from the president related to student protests.

The United States will "aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields," Rubio said in a statement.

China sent 277,398 students in the 2023-24 academic year, although India for the first time in years surpassed it, according to a State Department-backed report of the Institute of International Education.

It was unclear to what extent Rubio's statement marked an escalation.

China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Wednesday said Beijing urged Washington to "safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of international students, including those from China."

Rubio has already trumpeted the revocation of thousands of visas, largely to international students who were involved in activism critical of Israel.

A cable signed by Rubio on Tuesday ordered US embassies and consulates not to allow "any additional student or exchange visa... appointment capacity until further guidance is issued" on ramping up screening of applicants' social media accounts.