China has called out the United States for rejecting visa applications of more than 500 Chinese students who plan to take postgraduate study in STEM majors. A report from China Daily states that the visa rejections were due to restrictive Trump-era visa rules.
According to the report, the previous administration’s Immigration and Nationality Act and Presidential Proclamation 10043 damaged the rights and interests of Chinese students as well as the cultural exchange between the United States and China.
Students from China, whether undergraduates or postgraduates, were denied U.S. visas because of word from the U.S. embassy in Beijing that the applications did not comply with the said proclamation, which accuses the Chinese government of using students to acquire U.S. technology and intellectual property.
“The U.S. side’s restriction has continued the toxic legacy of the Trump administration. This is inconsistent with the U.S. side’s claims that it welcomes Chinese students,” says Zhao Lijian, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman.
Zhao also urges the United States to review all restrictions and put a stop on different kinds of excuses to restrict the entry of Chinese students who wish to finish their studies in the country. In 2019–2020, a total of 370,000 Chinese students were in the United States pursuing their studies.
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