What information is there for Chinese students studying in the U.S.? Trump: They will be fine.

U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to downplay concerns among Chinese students with visas about his administration's visa review efforts, saying he would tell them that everything will be "fine" while they are studying in America.

On Friday evening local time, when asked, "For those Chinese college students who want to stay in the U.S. and do not want their visas revoked, what would you like to say to them?" Trump responded, "Well, they will be fine. Everything will work out." The U.S. president added, "We just want to understand the situation of each student. This applies to all universities."

U.S. Secretary of State Rubio announced on Wednesday through a statement that "under President Trump's leadership, the U.S. Department of State will cooperate with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to revoke visas for Chinese students, including those associated with China or studying in key fields. We will also revise visa standards to strengthen scrutiny of all visa applications from mainland China and Hong Kong going forward."

This move has sparked strong criticism from China, which described it as discriminatory and further strained relations between Washington and Beijing. Earlier on Friday, Trump also accused China of violating the trade war truce agreement reached earlier this month. The agreement stipulated that both sides would significantly reduce their reciprocal tariffs, which had disrupted financial markets and could have led to a global economic downturn.

The restrictions on Chinese students' visas are part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to tighten scrutiny of foreigners studying at American universities. Harvard University has been a primary target of this movement, as it has resisted efforts by the Trump administration to force changes in its campus policies ranging from admissions to hiring.

Rubio ordered consular officials on Friday to conduct "full web status screenings" for all applicants wishing to visit Harvard University, including but not limited to "prospective students, current students, faculty, employees, contractors, guest speakers, and visitors." He stated that stricter reviews will cover social media accounts.

The Trump administration has frozen over $2.6 billion in federal research funds for Harvard University and taken steps to terminate all federal contracts. Harvard University has filed a lawsuit over the funding cuts and won a temporary court order blocking the Trump administration from enforcing the ban on federal student enrollment.

Trump also claimed on Wednesday that the proportion of foreign students at Harvard University should be limited to around 15%. The Trump administration also requested information from Harvard University regarding its foreign students, including disciplinary records and videos of individuals involved in protests.

Trump told reporters on Friday evening, "I don't know why Harvard University won't give us the list. There must be something wrong if Harvard University won't give us the list. They should give us the list so we can get rid of the trouble."

Officials from the Trump administration claim that the effort to force changes in American universities aims to combat anti-Semitism related to protests against the Israeli-Gaza War. According to Harvard University's data, nearly 6,800 students, accounting for 27% of the total student population, come from other countries, compared to approximately 20% in 2006.

Source: rfi

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1833637322685512/

Disclaimer: The article reflects the author's own views.