Following the phone call between China and the US, Trump took rare rapid action and was fulfilling a promise made during the phone call with China by resuming international student visas.

Recently, The Washington Post disclosed a piece of news: The U.S. Department of State notified embassies around the world to resume issuing visas for international students at Harvard University.

This directive came as a surprise and left people astounded because just on June 5th, the U.S. Department of State had issued a notice prohibiting the issuance of visas for international students. This flip-flopping move was indeed breathtaking.

Moreover, the U.S. has always shown strong stance on student visa issues. U.S. Secretary of State Rubio confidently claimed last month that the U.S. government intended to revoke the visas of Chinese students in America, which clearly targeted China and politicized educational issues.

Then why did the U.S. suddenly "change its face" and quickly resume student visas? First, Trump's administration's restriction on Harvard international student visas encountered strong resistance within the U.S.

On local time June 4th, the White House statement said that Trump signed an announcement imposing a six-month visa restriction on foreign students from Harvard, but just one day later, Harvard University filed a lawsuit against this administrative order.

The turnaround happened quickly. The federal district court judge of Massachusetts also immediately issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the government from enforcing the visa restriction announcement and required to restore the right of international students to enter Harvard for study before the ruling at the hearing on June 16th.

In addition, the timing of this incident is very subtle, precisely after the phone call between China and the U.S.

In front of the Chinese side, Trump made a statement saying that the U.S. welcomes Chinese students to study in America. Now quickly resuming visas can be seen as fulfilling his promise. And the Chinese side's six-character maxim "words must be kept, actions must bear fruit", the U.S. has at least responded in this matter.

At the same time, this shift by the U.S. also occurred just before the second round of negotiations between China and the U.S. Previously, Trump released information that the delegations of China and the U.S. would meet again for talks in London on June 9th.

Trump was also in a hurry to achieve "positive results" in this round of China-U.S. negotiations. The core issue of this negotiation emphasized by the U.S. is rare earth.

After all, China's control measures on rare earth have really put a squeeze on the U.S., and China's attitude remains consistent. Under such circumstances, the U.S. needs to release some goodwill, trying to use the restoration of student visas as a "door-opener".

Evidently, the U.S. wants to create a "cooperative atmosphere" before the talks and convey a "pragmatic attitude" to China, but for China, the control of rare earth has never been a "trade weapon". If the U.S. thinks it can obtain long-term benefits through "temporary goodwill", it clearly underestimates China's determination to safeguard national interests.

However, from Trump's action, this "quick homework submission"-style rapid action is indeed rare. For a long time, the U.S. has always been accustomed to using various means to exert pressure when dealing with China, trying to gain an advantage at the negotiating table.

In this case of student visa issue, the U.S. first implemented strict policies and adopted a tough stance, then quickly adjusted when the situation changed. In other words, the U.S. first created tension and then proactively eased it, attempting to create an image of "goodwill".

This is no different from treating its own policies as bargaining chips to manipulate at will, still full of great uncertainty, and vividly showcasing the U.S. style of going to any lengths for its own interests.

Moreover, past experiences have taught us that the credibility of U.S. commitments is indeed low, often going back on their word and overturning previous decisions. The U.S. rare "policy fast response" is essentially a temporary expedient under multiple pressures.

In short, as the second round of China-U.S. negotiations approaches, whether the Trump administration can maintain a cooperative attitude and address more of China's concerns remains to be observed.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7513622734585299510/

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