China has urged the US against taking discriminatory measures against Chinese students in American universities.
"We urge the US to stop overstretching the concept of national security and to genuinely protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese students and not impose discriminatory and restrictive measures against them," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a news conference in Beijing on Thursday.
Mao said Chinese students in the US make up one-fourth of total international students and "educational cooperation not only expands exchange opportunities for students from both countries and enhances mutual understanding between their peoples, but also contributes to the prosperity of the US economy and the advancement of science and technology, serving the interests of both sides."
It came as a response to a US congressman requesting information on Chinese students, citing national security.
US House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar sent a letter Wednesday to six American universities requesting information on policies and practices regarding the enrolment of Chinese national students in advanced STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programmes and questioning their involvement in federally-funded research, according to a statement from the committee.
"The Chinese Communist Party has established a well-documented, systematic pipeline to embed researchers in leading US institutions, providing them direct exposure to sensitive technologies with dual-use military applications," said Moolenaar, according to the statement.
America's student visa system has become a "Trojan horse for Beijing," it added.
TRT Global - Grant Miner says, as a Jew, he knows what is it like to go through genocide, referring to Israel's carnage in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, 70% of them minors and women.
Students facing expulsion
US university campuses are increasingly becoming hostile to free speech, especially pro-Palestine activism, as Trump's administration threatens to deport non-citizen protesters and slash federal funding to universities.
Amid student-led calls for a Gaza ceasefire last year, Trump vowed to deport foreign students participating in protests.
Students, especially international visa holders, are cautious and worried while some universities have advised them to avoid travel due to fears of re-entry restrictions.
Among those detained or facing deportation is Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian permanent US resident facing deportation under Trump, who has described himself as a "political prisoner" for leading pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University.
Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian from occupied West Bank, was arrested by immigration officers for overstaying her student visa. Kordia was previously arrested for her involvement in protests at Columbia in April 2024.
The Trump administration has also revoked the visa of Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian citizen and doctoral student "for advocating for violence and terrorism."
Srinivasan, however, "self-deported," US officials say.
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national and a researcher at Washington’s Georgetown University was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as part of the Trump administration’s growing efforts to target campus activism.
Grant Miner, a Jewish student and president of the Student Workers of Columbia-United Auto Workers, said Columbia University "expelled and fired" him, accusing the Ivy League institution of "caving" to Trump's demands.
A far-right Zionist group, which took credit for Khalil’s arrest, claims to have submitted "thousands of names" for similar actions.
Columbia was the epicentre of pro-Palestine protests that hit several US college campuses as US-supported Israeli carnage in Gaza.
Protesters have been demanding that university endowments divest from Israeli interests and that the US end military support to Israel.
TRT Global - Students of the Ivy League university condemn the targeting of the Gaza genocide activist, fearing they might be next as the Trump administration intensifies its crackdown on campus protests over "anti-Semitism" allegations.
