"US Cancellation of Chinese Student Visas Likely to Be Welcomed by China"

Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking member of the U.S. House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (Democrat, Illinois), argued that the Chinese Communist Party is likely to welcome the decision to cancel visas for Chinese students studying in the United States.

On June 1 (local time), in an interview with CBS, Krishnamoorthi stated, "They (the Chinese Communist Party) want scientists, entrepreneurs, and engineers to come and contribute to the economy," adding, "This policy is more likely to help other countries, especially China, rather than actually benefiting ourselves."

Raja Krishnamoorthi, Member of the House of Representatives. Photo by Reuters-Yonhap News

Previously, on May 28, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement announcing that the U.S. would aggressively cancel visas for Chinese students, including those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or those conducting research in critical fields.

According to Politico, a U.S. political news outlet, about 277,000 Chinese students studied in the United States last year. Approximately 20% of the highly educated tech workforce in Silicon Valley is of Chinese origin. However, Politico reported that it remains unclear whether the White House will target all Chinese students for visa cancellation.

Krishnamoorthi acknowledged the need for increased monitoring of Chinese students. He said, "I think we need to strengthen screening in certain key fields," and added, "We know that the Chinese Communist Party is attempting to steal intellectual property or even more serious things."

However, he pointed out, "Looking at the current situation, it appears that people holding student visas are being broadly targeted simply because they are of Chinese descent," and added, "This is much broader and gravely wrong, and it appears to be prejudiced and discriminatory." He continued, "This policy applies to anyone from China, including Hong Kong, but there are people coming from Hong Kong to the United States to realize freedom," adding, "In that respect, this policy is seriously flawed."